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June 22, 2017, 7:46 am

INDIA COMPLETE CAMPAIGN AT THE BRICS GAMES 2017

JUNE 22, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

The_Indian_men_s_team_at_the_BRICS_Games_inauguration

India finish 4th at the BRICS Games 2017, after losing to Russia and South Africa, concluding their exposure tournament in China.
The team was lacking in size in the absence of star centre Amritpal Singh, which resulted in them being outrebounded by heavyweights Russia and China.
Forwards Amjyot Singh Gill and Rikin Pethani performed consistently in the tournament, averaging 26 and 14.3 ppg respectively.
The team benefitted greatly from the practice afforded by this tournament before the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup in Lebanon, but will be nervously waiting on the fitness of captain Vishesh Bhriguvanshi and veteran small forward Yadwinder Singh.

Bengaluru, 22nd June 2017: India completed their participation at the BRICS Games after posting losses against Russia (19th June) and South Africa (20th June). The Games were held from 17th to 20thJune in Guangzhou, China.

Against Russia, India continued to struggle in the paint in the absence of their starting big man Amritpal Singh, and were outrebounded 54 – 34. Amjyot Singh Gill top scored with 20 points.

The Indian team put up a much stronger fight against South Africa, in what was essentially a contest for third place, after each team had lost their previous games against China and Russia.

The Indian team began the game quick off the blocks, and held a 12 point lead at the end of the first quarter. South Africa clawed back quickly, and the game was tied 33-33 going into half time. The teams continued to trade baskets right until the end of the third quarter, with neither team able to break the deadlock. But South Africa put on the afterburners in the fourth quarter, outscoring India 31-18 and taking the last spot on the podium. Amjyot Singh Gill put in another strong performance with 32 points that included 4 treys from beyond the arc.

The Indian team benefitted greatly from the practice afforded by this tournament before the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup in Lebanon. India’s participation also provided excellent exposure to its younger players like Jeevanantham Pandi, Muin Bek, Arshpreet Bhullar and Ravi Bhardwaj, who gained valuable international on-court experience. Another key silver lining was the performances of Amjyot Singh Gill and Rikin Pethani, who averaged 26 and 14.3 ppg respectively. Gill performed consistently in the tournament, playing all but one minute of all three games in the tournament, and leading the scoring for the Indian team in each of those games.

On the flipside, India will be nervously waiting on the fitness of captain Vishesh Bhriguvanshi (who suffered an ACL injury in the first game of the tournament against China) and veteran small forward Yadwinder Singh (back injury). Both stars are being evaluated to determine their availability moving forward.

The hosts China finished the tournament as runners-up, as they were beaten by Russia 53-58 on the final day of the tournament.

19th June 2017: Russia (Ivlev Vladimir 17 pts; Zakharov Denis 14 pts) bt India (Amjyot Singh Gill 20 pts; Rikin Pethani 13pts, Jeevanantham Pandi 12 pts) 88 – 58 [22-26, 13-23, 14-20, 9-19]

20th June 2017: South Africa (Fumani Marhanele 21 pts; Thabo Sithole 18 pts) bt India (Amjyot Singh Gill 32 pts; Rikin Pethani 18 pts, 11 reb) 88 – 75 [21-9, 12-24, 24-24, 18-31]

About the BRICS Games 2017

The BRICS Games 2017 is a tournament played among the BRICS countries with a view to developing sports exchange and cooperation, and promoting mutual friendship among BRICS countries. The host country of BRICS summit organizes the annual BRICS games and as China is all set to host the summit in September this year, they are given the responsibility of organizing the games. The choices of the games differ each year and are selected in consultation with the member countries. The 2017 BRICS Games were held from 17-20 June 2017 in Guangzhou, China at the Tianhe Sports Gymnasium.

About Basketball Federation of India

The Basketball Federation of India or BFI is the governing and controlling body of basketball in India, and is responsible for the development and promotion of the sport at all levels. BFI has been involved in conducting camps, clinics, events, and training sessions at its academies for the development of basketball. BFI came into being in 1935 and took complete control over Indian basketball in 1950. Prior to that time, the Indian Olympic Association handled the conduct of Indian basketball championships. Since 1950, the BFI has been conducting various such championships, from the grassroots to senior team participation in international tournaments. In addition, the BFI has been responsible for the establishment of strong sub-junior and junior level programs. The BFI has to its credit produced several international players of repute, among them 17 have been bestowed with the honour of Arjuna Awards. Earlier in June 2015, 19-year-old Satnam Singh Bhamara made history by becoming the first Indian national to be drafted by an NBA team, when he was selected by the Dallas Mavericks. More information at www.basketballfederationindia.org.

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MINISTRY OF MINES INVITES SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY PROJECT PROPOSALS

JUNE 22, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Ministry of Mines Invites Science and Technology Project Proposals

New Delhi, June 22, 2017

Projects are invited from Academic Institutions, Universities, National Institutes and R&D Institution recognized by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Government of India, for upto 3 years duration in the following thrust areas which have direct bearing on mineral sector, applied and sustainable aspect of mining and industrial applications:

2. THRUST AREAS OF RESEARCH IN MINES

The broad thrust areas for supporting Research in Mining are given below:

Prospecting/exploration for strategic rare and rare earth
Development of new technology for mineral exploration and mining on land and deep sea to locate and exploit new mineral

Research in mining methods. This includes rock mechanics, mine designing, mining equipments, energy conservation, environmental protection and mine

Improve efficiency in process, operations, recovery of by-products and reduction in specification and consumption
Research in metallurgy and mineral beneficiation techniques to utilize lower grade and finer size
Extraction of value added products from mine waste, plant tailings etc.

Development of new alloys and metal related products,
Evolve low capital and energy saving processing

Production of materials of high
Cooperative research among organizations associated with the mineral

3. Scientific and Technical Merit and relevance to Industry

All organization should follow the instructions given below before submitting the project proposals to the Ministry:-

the proposal should be relevant to the overall mandate of mining, exploration, minerals, metals value addition, waste and environmental impact of mining and metallurgical processing
b) industry inputs and participation

Originality in terms of concept, method, innovation, or in application;
development of new methods, synthesis of advanced materials,
process improvements and innovation,
design of apparatus and other research tools,
process development for waste/secondary/low grade materials recovery,

-2-

zero waste mining, large data analysis and simulation modeling
nature of study as experimental, modeling/simulation and both
There must be a clear enunciation of objectives and deliverable in the proposal
detailing of research methodology, design of experiments, chosen methods of analysis appropriate and
intended/potential application area has to be made clear in the proposal, industry relevance, industry participation if appropriate
potential scalability to pilot plant and later on plant levels
what are the techno economic benefits (at least rough estimates).

Science & Technology (S&T) projects are funded through grant-in- aid by the Ministry of Mines through the process of project evaluation by Project Evaluation and Review Committee (PERC) and recommended projects are approved by the Standing Scientific Advisory Group (SSAG) constituted by the Ministry.

Projects can be submitted to the Section Officer, (Metal-IV section), Room No. 528, Block 11, 5th Floor, CGO Complex, Ministry of Mines, Lodhi Road, New Delhi-110001 (Phone No.-011-24364196 in the prescribed proforma by 15th July 2017 alongwith soft copy of the project proposal in MS word format (not more than 3 MB) to the E- mail vikas.raj@nic.in . The details of terms and conditions and the prescribed proforma are available at the website www.mines.nic.in. Those projects, which are shortlisted shall be directed to present their

proposal either in Delhi or any other city. The Grants-in-aid will be governed by Government of India terms and conditions as amended from time to tim

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M6.8 – NEAR COAST OF GUATEMALA

JUNE 22, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Preliminary Earthquake Report
Magnitude	6.8
Date-Time	22 Jun 2017 12:31:04 UTC 22 Jun 2017 06:31:04 near epicenter 22 Jun 2017 16:31:04 standard time in your timezone
Location	13.753N 90.949W
Depth	46 km
Distances	64 km (40 miles) SSW (197 degrees) of Escuintla, Escuintla, Guatemala 65 km (40 miles) S (174 degrees) of Santa Lucï¿½a Cotzumalguapa, Escuintla, Guatemala 88 km (55 miles) SSW (203 degrees) of Amatitlï¿½n, Guatemala, Guatemala 95 km (59 miles) SSW (204 degrees) of Villa Nueva, Guatemala, Guatemala 108 km (67 miles) SSW (205 degrees) of GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala

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CHILD ABUSE: INSIA WRITES, “I WAS 10 WHEN I WAS SEXUALLY ABUSED.

JUNE 22, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Dear Sagar Media Inc,

Insia writes, “I was 10 when I was sexually abused. Over the years, I met many more survivors… One of them was my husband.”

She adds, “Boys of all ages, and of all backgrounds, across locations and states, report that they have experienced sexual abuse… Then why were their stories never told? Many a time, I have also come across people who refuse to believe that boys can get raped.”

Sign her petition asking the Ministry of Women and Child Development to conduct an in-depth study on male child abuse so that it can be tackled effectively.

Target- Maneka Gandhi, Minister for Women and Child Development: Order an in-depth study on male child sexual abuse in India #EndTheIsolation

insia dariwala
mumbai, India

Sign Insia’s petition

I was 10 when I was sexually abused. Men who I had dearly trusted had violated me. The violation became a part of my life. It continued.

Later on, as I grew up confused about love, men, and the pain inside me, I realised, what happened to me, was called ‘Child Sexual Abuse.’

The knowing should have freed me. Instead, it sent me deeper into isolation. I carried my world in my head, and for some time it did work in protecting me, but in the process also alienated people around me.

As a filmmaker, stories became my refuge. They moved, inspired, and had the power to bring together strangers.

Over the years, I met many more survivors living a life of penance for a crime they had not committed. One of them was my husband.

“I was sexually abused at the age of 5, by a trusted caretaker. The abuse went on for a month. Most times it lasted for a few minutes. The memories though, live in me forever.”

My husband and I have lived through an extremely painful process of coming to terms with our abuse. His, and the other stories I had heard from friends I knew, made me realise that even men can get sexually abused. Millions of men are living an isolated life of pain endured as children. Then why were their stories never told?

The government’s 2007 study on child abuse reports that a shocking 53.2% of children say they have experienced one or more form of sexual abuse. Of this number, 52.9% are boys. Boys of all ages, and of all backgrounds, across locations and states, report that they have experienced sexual abuse.

It is quite unfortunate that while on one hand, a girl’s sexual abuse is scorned, and looked at as a serious crime, most men are pressurised by society to pass off their sexual abuse as a rite of passage.

Sexual exploitation by older boys is often misinterpreted as Sexual Exploration and hence younger boys feel obligated to hide it.

Many a time, I have also come across people who refuse to believe that boys can get raped.

Men are ridiculed, their sexual orientation is questioned, and the pressure to live up to the façade of society’s macho image, weighs in so heavy, that ultimately the only way out, is to live a life within.

There is hardly any attention given to male child sexual abuse by the government. As a mother of a 17 year old boy, I strongly believe that no male is born aggressive, violent, or insensitive to women. It is an acquired behaviour, learnt from the people around them.

That’s why I started this petition asking the Women and Child Development Minister, Maneka Gandhi to do an in-depth study on male child sexual abuse.

A study on this topic might help us get insights on how we can prevent the use of violence in this society.

It might also help us curb the growth of sexual violence in men at its onset.

Research will help shed light on male mindsets, and certain hidden aspects of the long term effects of sexual abuse on men.

The POCSO laws might merely act as a platform to punish sexual predators, but conviction rates are extremely low.

What about the numerous cases out there, which are not yet addressed? What about the millions of boys, who have lived with the pain, and perhaps gone on to unleash their pain on other helpless victims? Why is it that till date we have invested so much in the cure but so little in prevention?

Sign my petition and ask the Women & Child development ministry to take the first step to end sexual violence against children & *women.

Sign Insia’s petition

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ASIAN HOSPITAL AT FARIDABAD NEO SURGERY EGG SHAPED

JUNE 22, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

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SOJOURN FOR MR RAM NATH KOVIND IN LUTYENS DELHI:

JUNE 22, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Indeed grand gesture by the Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma’s residence in Akbar Road will be the new temporary address of BJP’s presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind.

Ram Nath Kovind will be staying at the expansive 10 Akbar Road bungalow in the heart of Lutyens Delhi for about a month till the presidential election on July 17, top sources said.

Septuagenarian and choice of PM Modi appears certain to be the next president, had earlier been allocated 144 North Avenue as Bihar governor. After his resignation as governor, top authorities in the Centre decided he should move to a bigger bungalow for security reasons, the sources added.

Interestingly, this is not Sharma’s first tryst with presidents, former, would be and present.

The Union culture and tourism minister had earlier been allocated 10 Rajaji Marg, the residence of former president A P J Abdul Kalam, but was asked to leave it for President Pranab Mukherjee who will be moving to the bungalow after his retirement.

Kovind was picked as the ruling National Democratic Alliance’s candidate for president earlier this week. He has already got backing from several non-NDA parties, including the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), the Janata Dal-United (JD-U), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and both factions of the AIADMK.

Ram Nath Kovind born 1 October 1945 is an Indian politician and the NDA candidate for President of India. Kovind is a Dalit leader and member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He was Governor of Bihar from 2015 to 2017.

On 19 June 2017, BJP party president Amit Shah declared Kovind the NDA candidate for the post of President of India.

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HIGH TIME BADAL STOOGES SHED POLITICAL CROSS-DRESSING: S. SARNA

JUNE 22, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

NEW DELHI, Jun 21: Exposed for their sins of omission and commission towards the Panth while in power for ten long years, the Badals and their stooges must now drop their miserably failed attempts to re-brand themselves as proponents of the Sikh cause, SADD president Paramjit Singh Sarna warned Wednesday.

S. Sarna’s comments came in response to petty criticism that sycophants of the ousted CM have launched over chief minister Amarinder Singh’s honest talk about atrocities against the Sikhs during the unrest in Punjab.

During the launch of a book recently, Capt Singh boldly disclosed how a group of 21 suspected Sikh insurgents were killed in fake shootouts after he negotiated their surrender during the Chandra Shekhar government.

“Capt Singh called a spade a spade. His audacious disclosure sheds new light on New Delhi’s Punjab policy during Chandra Shekhar’s seven-month government. It’s a highly precious historical record revealed by an elected leader,” noted the SADD chief. “Afflicted with a perpetually low IQ and abject slave mentality, stooges of the Badals have, however, sought to drag Sri Akal Takht Sahib into an issue of state policy,” S. Sarna observed.

He cautioned supporters of the former chief minister against resorting to political crossdressing.

“It’s like living in an idiot’s paradise if they believe the Panth cannot see through their turncoat posturing. They are the worst adversaries of the Sikh cause when in power. When out of it, they try to rediscover their lost ground in Sikhi,” the SADD president said.

He held the Badals and their loyalists squarely responsible for annihilating the institutional prestige of Sri Akal Takht Sahib with their trivial actions.

“I advise them to introspect what all their party and their top leaders have done to Sikhi whenever they got power. The Panth will not allow you to mess up with community affairs any more with your shenanigans,” warned S. Sarna.
-Ends-

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June 23, 2017, 6:52 am

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KALYAN JEWELLERS ANNOUNCES THE WINNERS OF GLOBAL CAMPAIGN “SHOP & WIN 30 AUDI A3”

JUNE 23, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Raffle draw winners include 15 from India, 8 from UAE, 4 from Qatar and 3 from Kuwait

New Delhi, June 23, 2017: Kalyan Jewellers, India’s trusted and leading jewellery brands has announced the 30 winners of the “Shop & Win 30 Audi A3” global campaign. Each of the 30 lucky winners will be getting an Audi A3 Car from Kalyan Jewellers. The winners were chosen through raffle draws held in India, UAE, Qatar and Kuwait. As mentioned during the initial campaign announcement in April, of the 30 selected winners, 15 were from India, 8 from UAE, 4 from Qatar and 3 from Kuwait. The cars keys will be handed over in the coming weeks after the formalities are completed.

The winners were overjoyed when the company informed them about their win. Ms Deva Kumari from Telangana said she was ecstatic about it and commented, “I am elated by this amazing news. I still cannot believe I have won the draw and I will own the Audi A3. This is truly incredible and I would to extend my gratitude to the whole team at Kalyan Jewellers for making my shopping experience an unforgettable one with this awesome win. I will for sure be going back to the showrooms.”

Mr Abdul Bare Abdul, our lucky winner from Kuwait expressed his happiness and remarked, “This is truly amazing an experience for me. I truly feel one can’t get luckier than this. I mean who doesn’t love cars and that too winning a car as desirable as an Audi A3 is truly a dream come true. I can’t wait to drive the car and would like to thank Kalyan Jewellers for this amazing experience of a lifetime.”

Mr Ramesh Kalyanaraman, Executive Director, Kalyan Jewellers said, ‘’I would like to congratulate the all the lucky winners. At Kalyan our endeavor has been to enable our customers to extract value from their purchase while providing a great shopping experience. I am delighted that we could play a small part in helping our customers realizing their dreams.’’

The Kalyan Jewellers global campaign was launched on April 10, 2017 and culminated on June 9, 2017 in India, UAE, Kuwait and Qatar. The campaign marks the single largest offer of free Audi A3s in a raffle draw in India and GCC. Customers participated in the promotion by making a minimum purchase across Kalyan Jewellers showrooms in their respective countries. The 15 winners from UAE, Qatar and Kuwait were selected earlier this month on June 13th, 14th and 15th. The list of winners is as follows.

Sr. No.	Name (As In Invoice)	Country/City	Coupon No
1	Alex Kuruvilla	Dubai	630301
2	Ahmed Sulthan	Dubai	546120
3	Joshua Samuel	Dubai	580949
4	Bernard Aguila	Dubai	701570
5	Sheshadri PS	Qatar	139330
6	Jeevitha Saravanan	Qatar	312317
7	Ashraf T	Qatar	132837
8	Huda Elkahlout	Qatar	215156
9	Mohaned Ameen	Sharjah	757101
10	Leah Shanley	Sharjah	779021
11	Ajitha VC	Abu Dhabi	330280
12	Suresh Kumar	Abu Dhabi	112379
13	Abdul Bare Abdul	Kuwait	79929
14	Shaik Khadar Basita	Kuwait	15808
15	Azhagarasan R	Kuwait	45469
16	Rajeev S Kudale	Belgaum	2213807
17	S Nandini	Delhi	102948
18	Vijay Kumar	Kolkata	1235748
19	Suguna V	Visakhapatnam	1958241
20	Sindhu Sharan	Hyderabad	1351096
21	Shyam B P	Kannur	3453878
22	Dhanya	Kodungallur	4064542
23	Rajesh Bikundia	Jodhpur	1123834
24	Gurjeet Kaur Chhabra	Jalandhar	1015223
25	Bhavika Dipak Rajput	Surat	466963
26	Naval Kishore	Navi Mumbai	652275
27	G Narayanappa	Bangalore	2380120
28	Drisavy Bandita Bisoyi	Bhubaneswar	839072
29	Subimol	Ranni	4179845
30	Deepak Chatterjee	Kolkata	1299685

About Kalyan Jewellers

Headquartered in Thrissur in the state of Kerala, Kalyan Jewellers is one of the largest jewellery manufacturers and distributors in India. The company draws from its strong roots of over a century in the business of textile trading, distribution and wholesaling. Starting with the first jewellery showroom in 1993, Kalyan Jewellers has enjoyed a long-standing presence in the Indian market for over two decades. It has set industry benchmarks in quality, transparency, pricing and innovation.

Kalyan offers an array of traditional and contemporary jewellery designs in gold, diamonds and precious stones catering to the distinct needs of the customers. Kalyan Jewellers has grown to 105 showrooms across India and West Asia.

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EXPLORING INTERSECTIONS OF CASTE AND GENDER AMONG MIGRANT INDUSTRIAL WORKERS’

JUNE 23, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Jun

CPR is pleased to invite you to a talk (as part of the Social Change series) on
Between ‘khet,’ ‘factory’ and ‘colony’: Exploring intersections of caste and gender among migrant industrial workers
Eesha Kunduri

Wednesday, 28 June 2017, 12:30 to 2:00 p.m.

Conference Hall, Centre for Policy Research

Photo: Antara Rai Chowdhury

This presentation examines the intersections of caste and gender in the context of migration, industrial work and urban spaces. Drawing upon fieldwork in Delhi and Ludhiana, it explores how inter-state migrant workers articulate their identities in relation to caste, gender, work, and urban/rural spaces. Migration narratives display a strong undertone of negotiating with traditional village-level hierarchies of caste and gender. In several accounts, while prima facie, the process of migration is strongly represented as a means of breaking away from traditional hierarchies, the intersections of caste and gender underlie the narratives, and these traditional identities often provide context and meaning(s) to how the migration process is envisaged. Migrating for industrial work—from how it is envisioned to how work in the urban context is seen—is not independent of these identities; rather they are reinforced and reconstituted in varied ways. Contemporary forms of employment and urbanisation give rise to localised and fluid meanings of caste and caste identity, and an even more complex intersection with gender.

Eesha Kunduri is a Research Associate at CPR. Her research interests broadly lie in issues of migration, industrialisation and urbanisation, with a focus on the organisation of work and labour markets. She has also been engaged in research on state-citizen relationships in Delhi’s informal settlements, as part of CPR’s urbanisation focus area. Eesha holds a Master’s degree in Development Studies from Ambedkar University, Delhi (AUD), and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Delhi.

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PARTHIV PATEL OPENS A PANDORA’S BOX OF LITTLE SECRETS ON WHAT THE DUCK 2

JUNE 23, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Vikram_Sathaye___Parthiv_Patel_What_the_Duck_2

Catch the journey of the keeper only on Viu’s What the Duck 2

Mumbai, June 23, 2017: From being the baby-faced wicket-keeper who debuted for India back in 2002, Parthiv Patel has indeed come a long way. He played with the side in the 2003 World Cup, waited eight years to make a glorifying comeback to the national fold and has now led Gujarat to their maiden Ranji Trophy win beating Mumbai this season. Get to know more about him as he takes to the pitch as the next guest on What the Duck 2. The cricket-comedy chat show that brings forth the gabby side of the cricketers available only on video-on-demand service Viu.

One of India’s most promising wicket-keeper batsman, Parthiv Patel who is often regarded as the chatter box of the Indian cricket team confesses on being a fidgety person. He chuckles and goes on to say how he needs to keep doing something or the other, to keep himself occupied. A red-faced Patel explains how it becomes worse for him when someone asks him not to do a particular thing; which compels him to do that exact thing. Adding on, he says, “So, that is why I never sit beside the emergency seat. I am always so compelled to open and see what happens. That is why when the air hostess asks me, ‘Are you ready to help?”. I say, “No, please change my seat.”

Parthiv reminisces about his debut during the India Pakistan tour in 2004. He talks about the moment when he was sleeping and suddenly former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly asked him to open for the 3rd innings. He was so both surprised and ecstatic but agreed to play on one condition that Sehwag would take that strike. At that time Sehwag, who was on a rather good form said, “Dekh mera form aacha chal raha hai, main tere liye lunga strike warna main generally first ball pe out hojata hu jab main strike leta hu” (See, currently I am in good form right now, I will take the strike for you, although generally, I get out on the first ball whenever I take the strike). Parthiv says that while Shoaib was bowling he kept praying that, ‘hey bhagwan out mat hona warna mere pe aajayega sab’, (Oh God! Please don’t get out or else I will be in trouble) but as luck would have it Sehwag was bowled out in the first ball. However, Patel says that after Rahul came, they shared a partnership of 129 runs which was the most memorable moment of his life.

Patel gloats on Dhoni by saying that he changed the face of wicket keeping in India, raising the benchmark while also making sure that the keepers had an equal opportunity for batting. It was the love of the game that kept Parthiv going and the realization that he has to buckle up and improve his game. Later when he got Gujarat its maiden win against 3-time winner Mumbai in Ranji trophy he came out as a winner.

The chatterbox talks about his big mouth tales with the Aussies. He throws light on the Steve Waugh incident and even mentions that how his family asked him not to stand behind Hayden during his matches because of his height. From observing everyone in the dressing room and Laxman teaching him the subtle art of observing people without making it obvious to getting ice creams for all the seniors, Parthiv has been there throughout. He mockingly also comments how routine is a euphemism for superstitions in the dressing room and talks about his own superstitions.

From his sledging stories to his love for everything Gujju, Parthiv definitely shows a new humorous side to his usual self. Catch all the balls of laughter from this episode of What the Duck 2. All you need to do is turn to your mobile and download the Viu app on Android or iOS.

About What The Duck:

What The Duck is a cricket comedy chat show hosted by Vikram Sathaye on the digital platform Viu. Launched alongside the Viu app in 2016, Season One of the show was a swashbuckling success with participating cricketers such as Zaheer Khan and Virender Sehwag launching the property. What The Duck also inspired Viru Ke Funde, a Viu property which established Virender Sehwag as a social media celebrity. Participating in Season Two of the show are Shikhar Dhawan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, Sir Vivian Richards, Cheteshwar Pujara, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Parthiv Patel, Kapil Dev and Ajinkya Rahane among others. To Viu What The Duck 2, download the app.

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GLOBAL ECONOMIC MONITOR (APRIL-MAY,2017)

JUNE 23, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Global economic activity has expanded at a modest pace in the recent times, supported by firming growth in major advanced economies and in some emerging market economies as well. Consequently, the global growth has been anticipated to increase to 3.5 % in 2017 and 3.6 % in 2018, with optimistic financial markets and an expected recovery in manufacturing and trade.

In advanced economies, the pickup is mainly driven by higher projected growth in the United States , where activity was held back in 2016 by inventory adjustment and weak investment. In line with stronger than expected momentum in the second half of 2016, a stronger rebound in advanced economies is expected. The outlook has also improved for Europe and Japan on the basis of a cyclical recovery in global manufacturing and trade that accelerated in the second half of 2016. The pressures for inward-looking policies, with structural problems such as low productivity growth and high income inequality, are increasing in advanced economies.

While growth is still expected to pick up for the emerging markets and developing economies, weaker than expected activity in some countries has led to small downward revisions to the growth prospects for 2017 in these economies. However, growth forecasts have been marked up for China , reflecting stronger than expected policy support, as well as for Russia , where higher oil prices strengthens the recovery in 2017 as well as 2018.

Financial stability since last October has continued to improve. Economic activity has gained momentum and long term interest rates have risen, leading to a boost in the earnings of banks and insurance companies. Market sentiments have generally been strong, with outstanding gains in equity markets in both advanced and emerging market economies. Expectations of loose fiscal policy in the United States have contributed to a stronger dollar and higher U.S. Treasury interest rates, pushing up the yields in other economies as well.

Headline inflation has been picking up in advanced economies, many emerging market and developing economies due to higher commodity prices, but the dynamics of core inflation in advanced economies remain passive and heterogeneous.

On the trade front, Global trade is forecasted to expand by 2.4% in 2017. However, as uncertainty about near-term economic and policy developments raise the forecast risk, this figure is placed within a range of 1.8% to 3.6%. The WTO has forecasted trade growth between 2.1 % and 4 % in 2018.

Therefore, the policy choices are important in shaping the outlook and reducing the risks. In economies with weak core inflation, cyclical demand support is necessary. In economies where the output is close to or above potential output, fiscal policy in those economies should aim at intensification of safety nets and increasing potential output. Also, strategies are required in many countries to put public debt on a sustainable path. Actions to increase potential output are needed, given the challenges from ageing of population in advanced economies and the adjustment to lower terms of trade in emerging market and developing economies, as well as slow total factor productivity growth in these economies.

To sum up, many of the challenges that the global economy faces require individual country actions to be supported by multilateral cooperation. The key areas for collective action include preserving an open trading system, safeguarding global financial stability, achieving equitable tax systems, continuing to support low income countries as the economies pursue their development goals, and mitigating and adapting to climate change in the coming time

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AFGHAN WAR WILL END ONLY WHEN NATO LEAVES

JUNE 23, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

The leader of the Afghan Taliban said on Friday that a planned US troop surge will not end the protracted war in the country and vowed to fight on until a full withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan. The remarks by Maulvi Haibatullah Akhunzadah came in a message ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al Fitr. The militant leader seemed to harden his stance, saying the Afghan government is too corrupt to stay on and warning of another civil war in Kabul.

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AUSTRIA: FEWER MIGRANTS RETURNING HOME, DESPITE CASH OFFER

JUNE 23, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Austria’s Interior Ministry says that 427 migrants have taken advantage of a €1,000 premium if they go back to their homeland since the initiative was put into place, but the overall number of voluntary returnees has fallen. The ministry said 1,855 people overall returned over the first five months of the year, 64 percent less than over the same period last year. The cash for return offer was launched three months ago. The ministry said Friday that most of those making use of it come from Iraq, Afghanistan or Iran. It does not apply to would-be asylum-seekers from European countries or those convicted of crimes. media agencies

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EUTHANASIA MINDSET LOOMS OVER DISABLED BABY’S LEGAL FIGHT, ETHICIST WARNS

JUNE 23, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

June 22, 2017 by admin
Filed under lead story, newsletter-lead

Euthanasia mindset looms over disabled baby's legal fight, ethicist warns

London, June 22, 2017: Legal efforts to bar the parents of a British baby born with a disabling medical condition from seeking treatment overseas are based on deep ethical errors, a Catholic expert in medical ethics has warned.

“It seems to me completely wrongheaded that the state should be stepping in here when the decision that the parents are making is really aimed at the best interests of the child,” Dr. Melissa Moschella, a Catholic University of America philosophy professor, told CNA.

“It’s not crazy, it’s not abusive, it’s not neglectful. It’s the decision of parents who want to, however they can, to give their very sick child a chance for life.”

She said such a decision “should be completely within the prerogative of the parent,” citing the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights. According to Moschella, that declaration “clearly indicates that the parents, not the state will have primarily responsibility.”

Charlie Gard, now aged 10 months, is believed to suffer from a rare genetic condition called mitochondrial depletion syndrome, which causes progressive muscle weakness. The disorder is believed to affect fewer than 20 children worldwide. Charlie has been in intensive care since October 2016. He has suffered significant brain damage due to the disease and is currently fed through a tube. He breathes with an artificial ventilator and is unable to move.

His parents, Connie Yates and Chris Gard, have wanted to keep him on life support and transport him to the United States in order to try an experimental treatment.

However, their decision was challenged in court by hospitals and an attorney appointed to represent Charlie. The parents appealed a High Court decision, and their appeal to the U.K.’s Supreme Court was rejected.

Their final legal challenge is presently before the European Court of Human Rights. The court has said Charlie must continue to receive treatment until its judges make a decision.

Moschella said the legal decisions favoring ending life support for Charlie are effectively “telling the parents that their child’s life has no value and that therefore they should cease any effort to heal him of his disease.”

These decisions represent a “quality of life” ethic and an ideology that say human life is valuable only if it meets certain capacities.

“It’s the same ideology that underlies allowing euthanasia or physician assisted suicide,” she said. “That’s completely opposed to the Catholic view in which every human life has intrinsic value regardless of the quality of that life.”

Charlie’s parents have raised more than $1.6 million to help seek experimental treatment for him in the U.S. Their decision faced legal challenge from Great Ormond Street Hospital, where he is being treated.

In early April, the baby’s hospital challenged their efforts. The hospital’s experts argued in court that long-term life support should be withdrawn from the baby because his quality of life was so poor.

Charlie’s court-appointed lawyer argued before a High Court judge that any treatments in the U.S. would be experimental and long-term life-support would only “prolong the process of dying.”

Charlie’s parents had their own legal representative in the case, who argued that travel to the U.S. for treatment would not cause the boy significant suffering or harm and could give him another chance.

Yates, Charlie’s mother, has argued that she would welcome any treatment that could help him live. She also suggested anything learned during an experimental treatment could help treat future babies who suffer from the disorder.

According to Moschella, who has a background in parental rights and medical ethics, said parental rights derive both from the “special intimate relationship” they have with their child and from their primary obligations to care for their own children. Interfering with their conscientious best efforts is akin to violating religious freedom, she said.

“It is a deep violation of conscience, when, without a very serious reason, the state presents parents from fulfilling that conscientious obligation,” she said.

She noted that what Charlie’s parents are trying to do by helping secure extraordinary treatment is not ethically required by Catholic ethics.

“It would be perfectly morally acceptable should they choose to forgo seeking further treatment and take the baby off life support and allow him to pass away naturally due to the underlying disease,” the professor said. “But it’s also acceptable, on Catholic ethics, to do whatever you can to heal a person if you think that there’s any chance that a treatment could have a positive effect.”

She suggested that extraordinary treatment could be unethical only when “there is absolutely no hope of any benefit whatsoever” and the treatment is painful to the patient, or the treatment would take away “important resources that are needed to help other patients who could benefit.”

Moschella said there should only be legal intervention against the wishes of parents in cases “when there is a clear case of abuse or neglect or some significant threat to the public order.”

“Neither of those situations is the case here.”

– cna

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NBA AND BASKETBALL AUSTRALIA OFFICIALLY OPEN

JUNE 23, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

THE NBA GLOBAL ACADEMY FOR TOP PROSPECTS FROM OUTSIDE THE U.S.

– The NBA Global Academy to Host First-Ever NBA Academy Games

for Prospects from Academies in Africa, Australia, China and India –

MELBOURNE AND NEW YORK, June 23, 2017 – The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Basketball Australia (BA) today announced the official opening of The NBA Global Academy, an elite basketball training center at BA’s Centre of Excellence at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra. The NBA Global Academy will serve as the NBA’s hub for top male and female prospects from outside the United States.

As part of today’s announcement, the NBA and BA also announced that the first-ever NBA Academy Games will begin tomorrow and run through June 30 at The NBA Global Academy. The series of exhibition games will include prospects from The NBA Global Academy, NBA Academies in Africa, China and India, along with a team from BA’s Centre of Excellence and local Australian youth teams.

“Basketball Australia is delighted to partner in this venture, which will enable our world-class coaches and athletes to share their knowledge with the NBA,” said Basketball Australia Chief Executive Officer, Anthony Moore. “Our Centre of Excellence has an incredible track record of producing athletes who can compete on the international stage. We are honoured to be hosting The NBA Global Academy and helping to develop promising young talent from around the world.”

“The NBA Global Academy, the league’s sixth international elite training center, will provide scholarships and training for top international prospects,” said NBA Vice President, International Basketball Operations & Head of Elite Basketball, Brooks Meek. “Basketball Australia’s internationally recognized coaches have successfully developed top prospects for many decades. We’re looking forward to working with BA on this initiative and conducting the first NBA Academy Games.”

In addition to exhibition games between the academies and local Australian teams, The NBA Academy Games will feature academy coaches leading the prospects through a variety of activities on and off the court, including movement efficiency, positional skill development, and daily life skills seminars focusing on health, leadership and communication.

The NBA Global Academy will employ a holistic, 360-degree approach to player development with focuses on education, leadership, character development and life skills. As part of the program, the students will compete against top competition throughout the year and will have an opportunity to be selected for travel teams that play in international tournaments and exhibition games.

The official opening of The NBA Global Academy follows the launch of academies in Hangzhou, Jinan and Urumqi, China; Thies, Senegal; and Delhi National Capital Region (NCR), India. NBA Academies include educational development for top international male and female prospects and mark the NBA’s most significant investment in elite player development. The initiative exposes elite prospects to NBA-level coaching, facilities and competition and provides a global framework for elite prospects to maximize their success.

The NBA Global Academy will take advantage of BA’s Centre of Excellence location at the world-renowned Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). The AIS campus in Canberra is home to world-class, elite high-performance facilities and leading sports practitioners in the fields of sports science, sports medicine and coaching. AIS is a world leader in high performance and is the flagship of the Australian Sports Commission, the Australian Government’s sports agency.

Basketball Australia previously supported the NBA and FIBA’s Basketball without Borders (BWB) Asia camp, which was held in Australia for the first time at Dandenong Basketball Stadium in Melbourne in June 2016.

###

Contacts

Lisa Hasker, Basketball Australia, +61 418 194 933, lisa.hasker@basketball.net.au

Roger Ong, NBA Asia, +852-2843-9623, rong@nba.com

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EU AGREES TO ROLL OVER RUSSIA ECO- SANCTION

JUNE 23, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

European Union agreed to roll over economic sanctions against Russia for another six months because Moscow has failed to meet its Ukraine ceasefire commitments.

EU president Donald Tusk yesterday said that the Union will extend economic sanctions against Russia for their lack of implementing the Minsk agreement. He said the decision will become effective on July 31, when the current measures are to expire.

The EU imposed the economic sanctions against Russia after the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in July 2014 with heavy loss of life, blamed by the EU on pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine.

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ANOTHER 30 SMART CITIES

JUNE 23, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Government today announced the names of another 30 cities for development as smart cities under Smart City Mission. With this the total number of smart cities has gone up to 90.

Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala has topped the list. Announcing the new batch of smart cities at a National Workshop on Urban Transformation, in New Delhi, Urban development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said, 45 cities contested for 40 available smart city slots but only 30 were selected.

He said, there will be no compromise in selection of cities and quality of smart city plans. Mr Naidu said, 20 cities will be contesting for the remaining 10 slots under smart city mission.

The Minister informed that the 30 cities announced today proposed a total investment of 57 thousand 393 crore rupees under respective smart city plans. With this the total investment approved under the smart city plans of 90 cities has gone up to one lakh 91 thousand 155 crore rupees.

Mr Naidu said selection of cities for smart city development is running ahead of schedule and the remaining cities will submit revised smart city plans for filling up the vacant slots.

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MOB STONE TO DEATH DSP IN SRINAGAR

JUNE 23, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Jammu & Kashmir, A deputy superintendent of police was stoned to death by an irate mob after he allegedly opened fire at a group of people outside Jamia Masjid, Srinagar in the early hours today.

The police officer has been identified as Mohammad Ayub Pandit, deputy superintendent in Security wing of police. He was on duty when the mob attacked him, a police spokesman said.
DGP S P Vaid termed the killing as sad and unfortunate.Another report said the irate mob of people caught him clicking pictures near Jamia Masjid in early hours today.

A Police statement said he was attacked and beaten to death by a mob at Nowhatta last night.Reports said the group of people caught hold the DySP in civvies outside Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta and thrashed him. Reports said the mob around him snatched his pistol and beat the police officer to death. The incident happened when Shab-e-Qadr prayers were under way in the historic mosque.

Meanwhile, chief minister Mehbooba Mufti while paying tributes to the police officer said “the crime of lynching is actually a murder of trust as the officer had allowed his guards to go home”. She said J&K police is one of the finest forces in the country who exercise maximum restraint while dealing with law and order situation.

Rahul Gandhi

7 mins ·

The brutal lynching of DySP Md Ayub Pandith marks a new low. Pained beyond words at the horrific incident.

Heartbreaking to see J&K being pushed back several decades because of the complete failure of the PDP/BJP Govt

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ISRO LAUNCH CARTOSAT-2

JUNE 23, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

ISRO has successfully launched PSLV C-38 this morning putting Cartosat-2 Series remote sensing earth observation satellite and 30 other nano-satellites into their orbits. The fortieth flight of its highly reliable polar satellite launch vehicle lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikotta at 9.29 am.

Around 16 minutes after lift-off, the rocket placed its main payload -Cartosat-2 Series Satellite in orbit. The satellite is the sixth in the Cartosat-2 series. It is the third earth observation satellite for India in space. It will provide spot-specific pictures in high resolution.

The imagery of Cartosat-2 series satellite will be useful cartographic applications, urban and rural applications, coastal land use and regulation and creation of land use maps. It will also be useful for utility management like road network monitoring, water distribution, Land Information System and Geographical Information System applications.

Out of the 30 nano-satellites 29 belongs to foreign customers from 14 countries including France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain and the United States. The other is a domestic payload of a private educational institution.

ISRO chairman A S Kiran Kumar congratulated the scientists after the mission was declared a success, saying, it comes just 18 days after the fruitful maiden test flight of the 4-ton class launch vehicle GSLV Mark-III.

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CELEBRATING #YOGADAY2017 AT THE FRENCH EMBASSY

JUNE 23, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

French Embassy in India / Ambassade de France en Inde

21 June at 12:08 ·

Celebrating #YogaDay2017 at the French Embassy and enjoying India’s precious gift to the world!

Naresh Kumar Sagar

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NDA: COUNTRY FIRST, NOT POLITICS, SAYS RN KOVIND AFTER FILING NOMINATION :

JUNE 23, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

NDA Presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind, speaking to reporters after filing the nomination papers, Mr Kovind said, office of president is the highest constitutional post and in the past it has been adorned by eminent personalities like Dr Rajendra Prasad, Dr Radhkrishnan, Dr A P J Abdul Kalam. Further the septuagenarian added, it was country first, not politics. “Ever since I became governor, I don’t belong to any political party. The post of President is above party politics. I am thankful to everybody for their support. I will strive to keep President’s post above party politics. Development is priority. I appeal to all for cooperation.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, BJP veterans Lal Krishna Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, Chief Ministers of BJP ruled states and NDA allies ruled states and the heads of some other parties supporting Mr Kovind’s candidature were also present on the occasion.

All chief ministers of BJP-ruled states and its allies except Manohar Parrikar of Goa and Mehbooba Mufti of Jammu and Kashmir were present. Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao and Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami were among those present.

Over-viewing presidential colleges besides NDA constituents, which comprise over 48.6 per cent of votes in the electoral college that will elect the next president, regional parties such as the AIADMK, BJD, TRS and JD(U) have announced their support to the Dalit leader, making his win an almost foregone conclusion. Kovind is guaranteed to get more than 61 per cent of votes, and the finally tally depends on how some still- undecided regional parties vote, BJP source said.

UPA ,opposition candidate for the post Ms Meira Kumar is excepted to file her nomination on 27th of this month. 28th June is the last date for filing the nomination. The election for the President post is scheduled for 17th of next month and counting of votes will take place on 20th of July.

The term of President Pranab Mukherjee ends on July 24. Once elected, Kovind will be the second Dalit to occupy the highest constitutional office.

The first was K R Narayanan, who was in the Rashtrapati Bhavan in 1997-2002. A low-profile Dalit leader who held various organisational positions in the BJP, Kovind, 71, was made the Bihar Governor in 2015 after the NDA came to power in May 2014.

The name of the two-term Rajya Sabha member did not figure among the probables but his nomination by the BJP is now being seen as a “political masterstroke”.

He enjoys a clean reputation and has steered clear of any controversy in his over 26-year-old political career. His Dalit background makes him a sound political choice for the saffron party working overtime to woo Dalits.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad today again appealed to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar not to make a “historic blunder” by extending support to the NDA nominee for the presidential poll.

Describing the combined opposition nominee Meira Kumar as “Bihar ki Beti” (daughter of Bihar), Prasad appealed to Kumar to “mend the historic blunder” of supporting NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind.

“We are still treading on the path you had suggested to make the country ‘Sangh-mukt’…don’t know what made Kumar move away and extend support to a RSS man,” Prasad told reporters on his arrival at the Jayprakash Narayan Airport at Patna from New Delhi.

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GERMAN BILL TO VOTE ON GAG SOCIALMEDIA HATEPOSTS ?

JUNE 24, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Mr. Naresh Kumar Sagar interacting with the panelists during Press Meet

18403786_1518073924902024_3167434098078797439_o

The German Media Gagged

The legislature in German parliament is soon to ride ,gag an scuttle the media at large with such massive fine for fake news or hate speech is incongruous for media fraternity as the news are not always from the grass root,or primary,first source, but is from various tale told in form of accounts and depend on the intellect and wisdom of the conveyor accounts thus news are likely to be essentially some percent of falseness.

Media being targeted for their imperfect stance with such massive fine i unpalatable and against human rights.

Germany’s governing parties have cleared the way for parliament to vote on legislation designed to get illegal content such as hate speech or defamatory fake news removed quickly from social networking sites. The legislation provides for fines of up to €50 million for sites that fail to remove such content. The Cabinet approved it in April. It then encountered strong criticism, including fears that networks would delete too many posts to avoid the risk of fines. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative bloc said the governing parties agreed Friday to amendments that would allow for a vote next week.

Media agencies

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EU PUBLICLY TRADING BARBS OVER JOB & MIGRANTS

JUNE 24, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

France’s Macron, eastern Europeans try to mend fences

French President Emmanuel Macron and four eastern EU leaders sought to smooth relations on Friday after publicly trading barbs over jobs and democratic values. Macron has vowed to protect French workers from what he sees as “social dumping,” in which companies employ cheaper labor, and unfair competition from the poorer eastern European states. Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic say they should be allowed to compete on lower prices – just as more developed western EU nations compete on quality products and know-how. A diplomatic source said the five leaders had agreed to meet again in September.

EU leaders pledged Friday to boost their support for conflict-ravaged Libya as the number of people fleeing Africa on crowded, unsafe boats for better lives in Europe continues to rise. European Council President Donald Tusk said the central Mediterranean Sea route to Italy for unauthorized migrants “remains critical in terms of irregular arrivals.” To help prevent people from setting out for Europe in un-seaworthy boats, the leaders committed to step up their backing of the Libyan coastguard by providing more training and equipment.

RT news

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CHINA, US AGREE AIM OF ‘COMPLETE, IRREVERSIBLE’ KOREAN DENUCLEARIZATION

JUNE 24, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

China and the United States agreed that efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula should be “complete, verifiable and irreversible”, Chinese state media said on Saturday, reporting the results of high level talks in Washington this week. “Both sides reaffirm that they will strive for the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” a consensus document released by the official Xinhua news agency said. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had said on Thursday that the United States pressed China to ramp up economic and political pressure on North Korea, during his meeting with top Chinese diplomats and defense chiefs.RT news

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“TRANSFORMING INDIA DIALOGUES’ BEING ORGANISED ON JUNE 28 – 2017

JUNE 24, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Dear Sir/ Madam

Namaskar

This is to cordially invite you to “Transforming India Dialogues‘ being organised on June 28that 4.00PM at Deputy Chairman Hall, Constitution Club of India (Nearest Metro Station-Patel Chowk).

Speaker – Shri. Jayant Sinha, Minister of State for Civil Aviation

Chair – Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha and Vice Chairman of Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini

Invitation card – Enclosed

Kindly note that the invitation is non-transferrable and entry is by invitation only.

A line of confirmation would be very helpful.

—

Sincerely

—–

Prashant Chauhan

Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini

136, North Avenue, New Delhi-110001

Ph-9999486030, 9540876719

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GDP GROWTH RATE OF 7.1% IN 2016-17

JUNE 24, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

NirmalOm news line

Just now ·

EAC Newsletter
May-June 2017
According to the provisional estimates of national accounts released by the Central Statistics Office recently, the real GDP (at constant prices) registered a growth rate of 7.1% in 2016-17 though lower than 8% registered in 2015-16 are in line with expectations vis-à-vis impact of demonetization on various sectors of the economy such as mining, manufacturing, construction and trade sectors. The growth of agriculture and allied sector increased significantly while manufacturing, construction, mining and trade & services sectors faced contraction in their respective growth rates. Manufacturing sector’s growth declined from 10.8% in 2015-16 to 7.9% in 2016-17; growth in construction sector declined from 5% in 2015-16 to 1.7% in 2016-17; growth in mining sector declined from 10.5% in 2015-16 to 1.8% in 2016-17 and growth in trade & services declined from 10.5% in 2015-16 to 7.8% in 2016-17.

International Organizations such as World Bank is optimistic on India ’s growth. According to a Report of South Asia Economic Focus of World Bank, India ’s economic momentum is anticipated to speed up from 6.8 % in 2016 to 7.2 % by 2018 after an unpretentious delay due to weaker than expected investments and the effects of the withdrawal of large denomination bank notes. IMF in its recent regional economic outlook finds that growth in India is projected to bounce back to 7.2% in the 2017-18 fiscal and 7.7% in 2018-19 after the disruptions caused by demonetization.

Consequently, RBI has kept the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) unchanged at 6.25% in Second Bi-monthly Monetary Policy of 2017-18, the reverse repo rate under the LAF at 6% and marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate at 6.5%. However, a rate cut was expected from the RBI as inflation is in the comfortable zone and supply side is expected to improve with a good monsoon on the cards as forecasted by India Meteorological Department (IMD).

At the macro-economic front, the lead indicators are in comfortable trajectory as the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) registered a growth of 3.1% in April 2017 from 2.7% in the month of March 2017 while the WPI inflation and CPI inflation have declined in the month of May 2017. Also, India ’s merchandise exports and merchandize imports continued with a growth rate of 8.3% and 33.09% respectively in May 2017. However, the eight core infrastructure industries have showed 2.5% growth in output for April 2017 from 5.3% in March 2017 on account of negative growth in coal, cement and crude oil.

On the policy front, cabinet approved slew of reforms such as providing preference to domestically manufactured iron & steel products in government procurement, approval to National Steel Policy 2017, pan-India implementation of maternity benefit program and phasing out of Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), among others. Also, significant changes were made to change the definition of startups such as increase in the age of startups to seven years, no requirement of letter of recommendation from incubator/industry association and potential of job and wealth creation. Also, Goods and Services Tax Council has finalized the tax rates on 80-90% of the goods and services under the four-slab structure with important items of daily use being kept in the lowest bracket of 5%.

Going ahead, a good GDP growth is expected in 2017-18 with the expectations of a good monsoon and implementation of GST. Moderation in inflationary scenario, revival in growth of exports coupled with various structural reforms such as Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code, among others will attract private investments and support the growth of the economy in the coming times.

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CHRISTIANS PROTEST AGAINST HARASSMENT IN MADHYA PRADESH

JUNE 24, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

June 23, 2017; admin

Filed under India, newsletter-india

‘TRANSFORMERS’ ACTOR GLORIFIES GOD

JUNE 24, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

‘Transformers’ actor glorifies God for helping him overcome drug dealing, suicidal thoughts

June 23, 2017 by admin

U.S., June 23, 2017: From selling drugs to joining the Navy SEALs, actor Remi Adeleke is giving God all of the credit for his role in the new blockbuster movie, “Transformers: The Last Knight.”

Adeleke, who plays a TRF lieutenant in the film that released in movie theaters nationwide on Tuesday, made his I AM SECOND debut where he spoke about his childhood growing up in the Bronx, New York, and the absence of a male role model in his life which led to him stealing from his mother and selling drugs. His father was a well-known engineer in Nigeria, but following his death in 1987 Adeleke and his mother moved to New York City.

In 2002, Adeleke joined the Navy SEALs and began training in Alaska after he heard a voice urging him to go.

“One day I was laying in bed, a voice kept on pressing upon me that I needed to join the military,” he recalled in his I AM SECOND testimony. “While I would walk through this wilderness I had time to reflect in the silence. I started thinking about how I treated my mom and people I love.”

The yearning for a paternal presence turned into one of the lowest points of Adeleke’s life where he contemplated suicide. It was then that he began to call on the name of Jesus.

“I started having suicidal thoughts. I was at the lowest point of my life,” he recalled. “I didn’t know anything about the Bible but I just literally began to cry out to Jesus.”

Adeleke began to surround himself with other Christians who were serious about embodying biblical principles.

“All I wanted to do was to be with Him,” he recalled.

After spending 13 years in the military, Adeleke said God told him, “it’s time for you to move on.”

But Adeleke found himself growing angry with God when opportunities were not awaiting him after he retired from the Navy SEALs. Adeleke expected his phone to be ringing off the hook. Instead, he found himself worrying about how he would take care of his wife and unborn baby with only six months-worth of savings.

“We contemplated getting a divorce,” Adeleke admitted. “I got so frustrated. I got mad at God. ”

God didn’t forsake Adeleke and his family. A Hollywood film advisor whom he previously worked with on a television show was looking to cast him for “Transformers.”

“She said, ‘I’ve been trying to find you for a movie that is filming tomorrow. ‘The Transformers,’” Adeleke recounted. “The director was Michael Bay, the same one who inspired me to be a SEAL.”

Looking back at his testimony, the budding actor believes God had a hand in it all.

“You know, when I look at my story from the Bronx, to the military, to a marriage, being a father, now having a career in acting — if there’s one word to sum it up: God,” said Adeleke, who’s the father of two young children. “He’s been with me throughout my entire life. He’s used it all to bring me to where I’m at today.”

When speaking to the Life of Valor men’s ministry created by another Navy SEAL, Adeleke said he’s now using all of those experiences to glorify God.

“I truly believe that God allowed me to go through all that I went through in order to make me the man I am today,” he said. “He was building my story; a story that would one day be used for His glory.”

thecsf.org

– christian post

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UN REWARDS BEST PUBLIC SERVICE INITIATIVES WORLDWIDE

JUNE 24, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

23 June 2017

UNIC/PRESS RELEASE/074-2017

UN Rewards Best Public Service Initiatives Worldwide

India recognized for its innovative public service project to advance Sustainable Development Goals

12 institutions from 11 countries were recognized by the United Nations on UN Public Service Day for their innovation and excellence in providing public services. The Day highlights the pivotal role of public services in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The UN Public Service Day is celebrated every year to recognize public service innovations and excellence that have led to more effective and inclusive public service delivery contributing to the achievement of the SDGs in countries worldwide.

The 2017 Public Service Awards winners were announced during the UN Public Service Forum “The Future is Now – Accelerating Public Service Innovation for Agenda 2030” held from 22 to23 June in The Hague, Netherland.

Rewarding a wide range of projects worldwide

The Awards ceremony featured various initiatives that are helping to improve people’s lives. In Argentina, an initiative has provided quality early childhood education to neighbourhoods in extreme needs. An initiative in Australia was recognised that promotes transparency and inclusiveness in use of public fund and resources. In Thailand, a project has provided quality care to elders. In Botswana, the effective waste management system has been implemented to improve communities.

One of the winners this year is from India. It is the Department of Women, Child Development and Social Welfare of West Bengal for its initiative Kanyashree Prakalpa.

This initiative aims to improve the status of adolescent girls from socio-economically disadvantaged families in West Bengal by providing cash transfer to girls who stay in school and unmarried, which prevents child marriage.

“Kanyashree Prakalpa provides a safety net for those vulnerable families who are forced, by tradition, social compulsion or poverty, to truncate the education of their daughters and contract them to child marriages. Kanyashree makes a promise to every girl child: she can now confidently achieve her goal of a full education, for it shields her from being married off as a child”, said Dr. ShashiPanja, Minister of State (Independent Charge), Department of Women and Child Development & Social Welfare of India.

Other award winners include projects to provide inclusive access to quality health care in Ecuador, a scholarship for adolescent girls to combat child marriage in India, and productive water management system in France. The winners were awarded on 23 June, which is UN Public Service Day.

Sharing innovative initiatives by public institutions:

Also on the occasion of UN Public Service day, a two-day Forum was held in the Hague in the Netherlands to allow ministers, senior public servants, civil society representatives, young people and experts to share innovations and lessons learned on mobilizing public servants and public services to realize the SDGs.

“We need to mobilize the best expertise of public servants to transform institutions and put people at the centre of public service. We need to mobilize their creativity and empower them to take risks and try new ways of doing things. In brief, we need innovation so that no one is left behind”, said Thomas Gass, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs.

The Forum bolstered the capacities of governments to respond in innovative ways to the challenges posed by implementation of the SDGs, in a range of areas, from energy and employment to children’s well being and improving the lives of the poorest and most vulnerable people.

The Forum was organized by the Ministry of Interior and Kingdom Relations of the Netherlands and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), Division for Public Administration and Development Management.

List of countries awarded

The 2017 Public Service Awards winners are from the following countries: 1st place winners: Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Mongolia, United Kingdom 2nd place winners: Botswana, Colombia, France, Thailand

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BESTE NARESH, BEZOEK RAI AMSTERDAM

JUNE 24, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

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Deadline voor deelname: 7 september 2017

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14 juli t/m 31 augustus 2017

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Hollywood komt naar Amsterdam!

2 t/m 3 september 2017

Comic Con komt terug naar Amsterdam! Neem een kijkje in de Artist Alley, Comic World, Merchandise Area & Cosplay Universe. Ontmoet Hollywood-sterren tijdens foto- en handtekeningensessies of panels. Ook games, manga/anime, wrestling & superhelden vind je terug in de RAI. Kaartjes vanaf €10. Lees meer

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Aankomende evenementen

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3rd EAN Congress

27 jun t/m 29 jun 2017

TOC Europe 2017

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DRIVING ENTREPRENEURSHIP THROUGH SMES’

JUNE 24, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Driving Entrepreneurship through SMEs’ to be held on July 3, 2017 at Multipurpose Hall, IIC, New Delhi.

Key Panellists Invited:

Mr. Ramesh Abhishek, Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion
Mr. Surendra Nath Tripathi, Additional Secretary, Ministry Of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises
Mr. Ravindra Nath, Chairman & Managing Director, National Small Industries Corporation Limited (NSIC)
Ms. Jyoti Khanna, Promoter, Nipa International Pvt Ltd

Agenda:

Pahle India Foundation – YES Global Institute Monthly Seminar Series on SMEs *‘Driving Entrepreneurship through SMEs’ July 3, 2017 IIC, New Delhi*
2:30 pm onwards	Registration
3:00 pm – 3:10 pm	Introductory Remarks: Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Founding Director, Pahle India Foundation Sumit Gupta, Group President &National Head Business and Rural Banking, YES BANK
3:10 pm – 4:30 pm	Panel Discussion (Moderated by Dr. Rajiv Kumar)
4:30 pm – 4:55 pm	Q&A
4:55 pm – 5:00 pm	Vote of thanks by Nirupama Soundararajan, Senior Fellow, Pahle India Foundation
5:00 pm onwards	Networking & Tea

For any further information, please get in touch with:

Anil Kumar, Pahle India Foundation

E-mail: anil.kumar@pahleindia.org Mob: +91 8826408889

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2ND NATIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION SUMMIT FOR SKILL DEVELOPMENT

JUNE 24, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Invitation to Join

2nd National Higher Education Summit For Skill DevelopmentAlong With 11th National Education Summit 2017Hall no. 4, Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi30th June, 2017, 10.30 AM Onwards

CMAI Association of India cordially invites you as our VIP Delegate to 2nd National Higher Education Summit for Skill Development along with 11th National Education Summit on 30th June, 2017 at Hall No. 4, Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi from 10.30 AM onwards. We personally request to please give confirmation on email.

This is a unique platform to get connected with hundreds of Institutes/Universities and Higher Education Decision Makers, Government representatives , Principals, University Vice Chancellors and Private Managements running Institutes and decision makers available at one single point.

The Summit will be graced by:-

Hon’ble Prof. Anil D. Sahasrabudhe, Chairman, AICTE
Hon’ble Sh. Rakesh Kumar Chaturvedi, IAS, Chairman, CBSE
Hon’ble Prof. Dr. P.B Sharma, President, Association of Indian Universities
Hon’ble Prof. Dr. Navin Seth, Vice Chancellor, Gujarat Technological University
Hon’ble Prof. (Dr.) RK Khandal, Former VC, UPTU (Lucknow)
Hon’ble Sh. Vikas Jain, Chairman, Micromax

This is rare conference with stakeholders from Representatives from NIELIT, NIXI, several officials from Government of India and other Telecom & IT Associations of India will be participating in this event, which will be extensively covered by the media. The Summit will also be attended by Industry experts, HR/Marketing people etc from companies such as HP, CISCO, Datawind, Microsoft etc.

Agenda

10.30AM- 11.00AM – Collection of Invitation card and parking stickers for entry (East Gate)
11.00AM- 12.00PM- VC’s/Directors Conference on Education
12.00PM- 01.30PM- National Education Summit & Awards 2016
01.30PM onwards – Networking Lunch

Kindly find the invitation card before the signatures in PDF version (request to please download and carry a copy of the card).

You are requested to kindly carry an ID Proof and copy of the invitation card for your smooth entry at the venue.

Details are available athttp://nationaleducationaward.com/NEA2017/

Request to please send confirmation by email

In case you have any queries or seek any clarifications, please call Pooja Sharma, AGM, +91 9654894854 or our Helpline Numbers: 011-26266211/ 011-26266411 (10.00AM-06.00PM)

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KIDAMBI SRIKANTH WINS AUSTRALIA OPEN SUPER SERIES

JUNE 25, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

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BAI announced a cash reward of Rs. 5 lakhs for Kidambi Srikanth forwinning Australia Open Super Series. He won his fourth superseries title

Badminton, ace Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth today lifted the Australian Open Superseries trophy in Sydney. In the summit clash, 11th world ranked Srikanth stunned former world number one and Rio Olympics Gold medalist Chen Long of China in straight games, 22-20, 21-16. It was Srikanth’s first victory over the Chinese in 6 matches.

The trophy is Srikanth’s second this season and fourth overall. He had won the Indonesian Open last week.

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NATIONAL MISSION FOR CLEAN GANGA: THE CHALLENGES AHEAD

JUNE 25, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

National Mission for Clean Ganga: The challenges ahead:

K.N.Pathak

Before the advent of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), Ganga, the most revered and national river of India, was facing the challenge to its existence due to discharge of increasing quantities of sewage, trade effluents and other pollutants on account of rapid urbanization and industrialization. The stretch of Ganga covers a length of 2525 kilometers across five states namely Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. It has a catchment area of 8,61,404 square km covering over a quarter of country’s land area and sustaining 46% of the total population of the country. It touches 118 towns and 1657 Gram Panchayats across 66 districts of 5 states of India.

The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), created in June, 2014, is being supported by State level Programme Management Groups (SPMGs) of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand and west Bengal. The main activities undertaken under Namami Gange include sewage and effluent management including creation of new and rehabilitation of existing STPs, complete sanitation coverage of Gram Panchayats, development of model cremation/dhobi ghats, development of decision support system in GIS platform for efficient planning and monitoring and creation of an IT based monitoring centre with capabilities of real time alerts and prediction. For long term protection and rejuvenation, a provision has been made for 100% funding for the entire life time cost of the treatment of assets created including O&M cost for 10 years. Due importance has also been accorded to bio diversity, conservation, maintenance of flow in the river and afforestation along river side with medicinal and native plant species along with conservation of aquatic species.

The expenditure incurred on Namami Gange in the first three years, (ie; 2014-2015 to 2016-17) is Rs 3673.00 crore. For the current year (2017-18), an amount of Rs 2300 crore has been allocated in the budget. It is however, observed that the pace of utilization of fund under this programme has not been satisfactory. The slow implementation of project is attributed to delay in tendering, retendering, non- availability of land, legal issues, natural calamities, delay in permission for road cutting, crossing, local festivals, higher fund requirement and pending approvals of state Cabinet etc. Regular monitoring meeting of NMCG with concerned state is expected to help in expediting the pace of the projects implementation and eliminating bottlenecks in making land available and clear the projects through tendering.

The Order issued through the Gazette of India on 7thOctober, 2016 constituting River Ganga (Rejuvenation, Protection and management) Authorities under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 lays down a new institutional structure for policy and implementation in fast track manner and empowers NMCG to discharge its functions in independent and accountable manner. The said Authority has its jurisdiction spread over 5 states along the main stem of Ganga and 5 states and Union territory of Delhi along the major tributaries of the river Ganga.

The key principles identified for the Authority are:

1) Maintaining the continuity of the flow without altering the natural season variations.

2) Restoring and maintaining the integral relationship between the surface flow and sub-surface water (ground water),

3) Restoration and maintenance of the property and quality of water in time bound manner.

4) Regenerating and maintaining the lost natural vegetation in catchment area,

5) Regeneration and conservation of the aquatic and riparian biodiversity in river Ganga basin,

6) To keep the bank of river Ganga and its floodplains as construction free zone to reduce pollution sources and maintain its natural ground water recharge functions

7) Making public participation as integral part of process of rejuvenation, protection and management of the river.

River surface cleaning work has been undertaken in major cities on the bank of River Ganga in collaboration with Corporate bodies and Public Sector undertakings. Under Rural Sanitation programme, NMCG has provided Rs 263 Crore to Ministry of Drinking Water &Sanitation for construction of toilets. About 11 lakh toilets have been constructed so far. For renovation/modernization and construction of crematoria based on standard design, initially, 20-25 urban local bodies (ULBs) are being taken up with the target of developing 100 crematoria in a year’s time.

River front/ ghat development work has been taken up in 7 towns of Kedarnath, Haridwar, Delhi, Allahabad, Kanpur, Varanasi & Patna in addition to repair and modernization of existing ghats. Under medium term plan Effluents Management activity, real Time Effluent Monitoring stations have been installed in 508 out of 764 grossly polluting industries of distillery, pulp and paper; tanneries; textile and sugar. Regarding Zero Liquid Discharge, action plan has been under implementation for distilleries since the last quarter of 2016. Vigilance squad of Central Pollution Control Board is closely monitoring for improved compliance.

Biodiversity Conservation is being implemented in association with Wildlife Institute of India to cover Golden Mahaseer, Dolphins, Crocodiles, Turtles and Otters etc under conservation programme. 30,000 Hectares of land is targeted to be covered under afforestation programme. For water quality monitoring, in addition to 57 Manual monitoring stations, 113 Real-time monitoring stations are being set up with display boards at selected locations. Steps are being taken for public outreach. Resource materials such as posters, flyers, brochures, pamphlets, hoardings etc. have been circulated/displayed among stake holders.

Awareness activities are taken up through Pad Yatras, cleanliness drives, painting competitions for children, shramdaan, talk-shows and dialogues etc. Namami Gange song has been released and played on digital media and during public events. In addition to that featured articles and advertorials through audio-visual media have also been introduced. Regular updates are shared on Social Media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and You tube etc. Mass awareness campaigns, photo exhibitions , setting up Pavilions/Stalls at national/ International events have also been organized. For involvement of public in monitoring of pollution entering into the river Ganga, Bhuvan-Ganga Web App and mobile app have been launched.

In view of multi stakeholder nature of the Ganga rejuvenation challenge, 7 Ministries of Govt of India are working together on an action plan since June,2014. Besides, MoU has also been signed between NMCG and 11 Ministries of the Govt of India to ensure convergence of their activities in protection and rejuvenation of river Ganga. MoU has also been signed with National Remote Sensing Centre, a department under Indian Space Research Organization ISRO.

For Pollution abatement and cleaning exercise in river Ganga, the policy making authorities at higher level have emphasized the need of close monitoring, focus on minimizing waste generation and disposal of waste in eco- friendly manner and publicizing the use of electric crematoria for enhancing its acceptability among the masses. Uploading the monitoring reports in public domain has been recommended.

A number of decisions taken recently indicate that the pace of project implementation has picked up momentum for pollution abatement and making the flow of river incessant. State Ganga Committees and District Ganga Committees have been formed to ensure effective implementation and Participation of people in protection &rejuvenation of Ganga.

*****

*Author is an independent researcher and writes on socio-economic issues. He is former Joint Adviser of Niti Aayog, Govt of India.

These are the author’s views.

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PRESSURISED HEAVY WATER REACTOR WILL MEET COUNTRY’S DEMAND FOR CLEAN ENERGY

JUNE 25, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor

It will meet country’s demand for Clean Energy in the immediate and the long-term future

*Srikumar Banerjee

Government’s announcement for the plan of construction of ten new Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR) of 700 MWe capacity vindicates the confidence in the indigenous PHWR technology which has been built over a period of nearly four decades. The performance of the present sixteen indigenously built PHWRs is demonstrated by an average capacity factor of about 80% over last five years, their uninterrupted operation over extended periods, the longest being 765 days for a Rajasthan Reactor, RAPS-5 securing the second world ranking and a very low average electricity tariff which is next to that of the hydroelectric power. More than anything else, is the fact that 100% of all their components are manufactured by the Indian industry. Dr. M.R.Srinivasan in a recent column in The Hindu (appeared on May 19,2017) has succinctly outlined the history of the development of the PHWR technology and the near-term strategy of the growth of nuclear power capacity. The evolution of the PHWR technology and the upgradation of their safety features have been covered in a series of scientific papers published in a special section of the April ‘17 Issue of “Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science’- a journal published by American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

The PHWR technology in India started in the late nineteen sixties with the construction of the first 220 MWe reactor, Rajasthan Atomic Power Station, RAPS-1 with a design similar with that of the Douglas Point reactor in Canada under the joint Indo-Canadian nuclear co-operation. Canada supplied all main equipment for this first unit. India retained responsibility for construction, installation and commissioning activities. For the second unit (RAPS-2), import content was reduced considerably and indigenization was taken up for major pieces of equipment. Following the complete withdrawal of the Canadian support in 1974 after Pokhran-1, Indian nuclear engineers completed the construction and the plant was made operational with majority of the components made in India. From the third PHWR unit (Madras Atomic Power Station, MAPS-1) onwards, the evolution and indigenisation of the design began with the objective of keeping abreast with evolutionary changes taking place worldwide and of meeting new safety criteria. Improvements were also incorporated for reduction of the construction time and cost, and enhancing reliability of operation leading to better capacity factors. The first two units of PHWR using indigenously developed standardized 220 MWe design were set up at the Narora Atomic Power Station (NAPS). This standardized and optimised design had several new safety systems which have been incorporated in five more twin-unit atomic power stations with capacity of 2 x 220 MWe located at Kakrapar, Kaiga and Rawatbhata. For realising the economics of scale, the design of 540 MWe PHWR was developed and two such units were constructed at Tarapur. Further optimisations were carried out by utilising the excess thermal margins and improve the economics and NPCIL modified the 540 MWe PHWR design to that of 700 MWe capacity without much design changes. Four units of this design are being constructed at Rawatbhata and Kakrapar at present.

As far as the safety is concerned, the PHWR technology scores well in terms of its several inherent safety features. The biggest advantage of the PHWR design is the use of thin walled pressure tubes instead of large pressure vessels used in pressure vessel type reactors. This results in a distribution of pressure boundaries to large number of small diameter pressure tubes. The consequence of an accidental rupture of the pressure boundary in such a design will have a much less severity than that in a pressure vessel type reactor. The PHWR core is always uniquely surrounded by huge quantity of low temperature and low pressure water in the calandria vessel and in the calandria vault. These coolant inventories significantly delay the progression of the event and, thereby, provide adequate time for interventions and corrective actions by operators to mitigate the consequences. In fact, the large quantity of vault water can serve as a core catcher for in-vessel retention of disintegrated fuel debris in the case of a very low probability core melt accident. These inherent heat sinks are required only when the primary heat sink through steam generators or the shutdown cooling system becomes unavailable in the most severe accident scenario.

In addition, the Indian 700 MWe PHWR design has enhanced safety through dedicated Passive Decay Heat Removal System which has the capability of removing decay heat from core without requiring any operator actions similar with the technology adopted for Generation III+ plants to address the Fukushima type accident. The 700 MWe Indian PHWR has steel-lined containment to reduce the leakages and containment spray system to reduce the containment pressure in case of a loss of coolant accident and for scrubbing radio nuclides in case of their release beyond the design limit.

The main reasons for selecting PHWRs in the 1960s for the First Stage of the Indian nuclear power programme have been the use of natural uranium oxide as the fuel, the best utilisation of mined uranium in energy production and the prospect of establishing a completely self-reliant technology. Over four decades of relentless research, design and development work in Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and Nuclear Power Corporation and the matching contributions of some of their industry partners who had shown the courage in taking up the challenging manufacturing and construction work have enabled India in establishing the technology in totality. Mastering the entire fuel cycle including prospecting of minerals, mining, processing and manufacturing of fuel and structural materials, reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel and immobilization of radioactive waste has given India a unique position of self-reliance in the atomic energy domain. The constraint of a limited reserve of uranium in the country which earlier impeded a rapid growth in nuclear power has now been eased by augmented production of indigenous uranium and import of uranium under the civil nuclear co-operation agreements with several countries. During the last financial-year Nuclear Fuel Complex had a record production of nuclear fuel exceeding 1500 tonne and new uranium deposits discovered by Atomic Mineral Division for Exploration and research have taken the uranium reserve in the country to a level of 200000 tonne.

India is now poised for a rapid growth in the nuclear power capacity which is essential for meeting the demand of clean electricity. The per-capita electricity consumption in India (now close to 1000 KWh) is nearly one-third of the world average and there is an obvious need for a substantial enhancement of non-carbon electricity production to improve the quality of life of our people. The impressive growth in the solar and wind power has made a visible impact in increased availability of electricity in many areas. However, it needs to be emphasized that the distributed and intermittent sources of energy such as solar and wind cannot meet the base load demand very effectively. The nuclear energy source is concentrated, continuous and reliable and, therefore, can be complemented by solar and wind energy in meeting the overall demand of electricity with practically zero carbon foot-print. While the huge electricity demand from large cities and industrial complexes require uninterrupted and concentrated form of energy, there is an equally big demand of distributed energy in our rural areas. Energy planners are, therefore, combining these different patterns of energy requirement to achieve an optimised solution.

The next issue which needs to be addressed is the speed at which we can grow our nuclear power capacity. In this context one can examine the experience of France and USA in nineteen seventies and of China in the recent years. They all have achieved very impressive rapid growth by adopting a convoy or a serial mode of installation of nuclear power plants of a few standardised designs. In such a strategy, the industry can gear up their dedicated production lines for sophisticated nuclear components and construction companies can deploy their manpower and skill-set most effectively. The decision that 10 PHWRs of 700 MWe will be installed in the immediate future will generate enough enthusiasm in the industry for taking up the challenge of serial production of nuclear components of exacting specifications. The expansion in nuclear power activity will not only broaden the supplier base but also make the participating industry more quality conscious. They can even qualify to be exporters of nuclear grade components. A reduction in the gestation period of construction of nuclear plants will have a strong impact in reducing the cost of electricity.

As has been mentioned by Dr.Srinivasan, India is now in a position to embark upon building 900 MWe Pressurised Water Reactors (PWRs) of her own design. The capability of making large size pressure vessel is now available within the country and our own isotope enrichment plants will be able to supply a part of the required enriched uranium fuel within a decade. These will be in addition to imported PWRs from Russia, France and USA with the aim of an accelerated growth of nuclear energy in the country. The signing of the recent agreement between India and Russia for the construction of two more 1000 MWe PWRs (Units 5 and 6) in Kudankulam confirms this overall plan. The convenience of operation and a high average capacity factor have made PWRs the most sought after nuclear power reactors in the world, nearly 85% of all power reactors being the PWR type. There will be a special advantage of operating a mix of PWRs and PHWRs in India as the spent fuel of the former which will contain more than 1% of uranium-235 can be reprocessed and further utilized as the fuel in PHWRs operating in tandem. This evolving fuel cycle will eventually extend the power generation from the First Stage of the well- known three stage programme quite significantly.

The merit of the closed fuel cycle which has been adopted right from the beginning of the Indian programme is not only in multiplying the fuel resource but also in reducing the radio-active burden of the nuclear waste dramatically. In this context, the successful development of separation of minor actinides from the nuclear waste in India, deployed in pilot plant scale, has drawn world-wide attention. Plutonium recovered by reprocessing of spent fuel from operating PHWRs has been used in making the plutonium-uranium mixed oxide fuel for the full core of the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) which has initiated the commissioning activities before commencing operation. With the entry of India in her Second Stage of nuclear power programme in which Fast Breeder Reactors will not only enable the growth of the installed nuclear capacity, but also generate more fissile materials, plutonium-239 and uranium-233 by conversion of fertile isotopes, uranium-238 and thorium-232 respectively. An enhanced scope and an accelerated implementation of the First Stage of the programme will make a far- reaching impact on securing the energy self-reliance of the country. By operating multiple recycles in the uranium-plutonium fuel cycle the supply of fissile material is expected to be enhanced by a factor of 60 and by using the huge reserve of thorium, the current estimate being four times that of uranium, India can sustain the supply of clean nuclear energy for several centuries.

Dr Srikumar Banerjee is a former Chairman AEC & Secretary DAE. Currently he is Homi Bhabha Chair Professor, DAE; Chancellor, Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI) and Chancellor Kashmir University.

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PM NARENDRA MODI ARRIVES IN WASHINGTON

JUNE 25, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in US capital Washington this morning on the second leg of his three nation tour. Indian Ambassador to US Navtej Sarna and Charge de Affairs of US Embassy Marykay Loss Carlson received Mr Modi at the Andrew’s Air Force Base. Large number of NRIs present outside the base greeted Mr Modi upon his arrival.

In the US, Mr Modi will attend a community reception today and hold talks with President Donald Trump tomorrow. Ahead of his US visit, Mr Modi said he is looking forward to the opportunity of having an in-depth exchange of views. In a tweet, Prime Minister said his US visit is aimed at deepening ties between the two countries which will benefit the two nations and the world. Apart from official meetings with Mr Trump and his cabinet colleagues, Mr Modi will be meeting some prominent American CEOs.

Calling Mr Modi a true friend, President Trump said he looks
forward to welcome Prime Minister Modi and discuss important strategic issues.

The two leaders will hold talks tomorrow in the White House. They will spend several hours together in various settings including one-on-one and delegation level meetings, a reception and a working dinner. The working dinner that Mr Trump is hosting for Mr Modi is the first of its kind under the present administration. A senior US official said this will be the first dinner for a foreign dignitary at the White House under this administration.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, Indian community has the capacity to incorporate every diversity in the world into itself. Addressing Indian origin people at Radhakrishna Temple complex in Portugal capital Lisbon this evening, he praised Indian diaspora saying they are working as the true ambassadors of India across world.

Mr Modi said, wherever Indians have gone, they have maintained the Indian cultural heritage and also have dedicatedly contributed to the country of their residence.

Reiterating his confidence in Indian youth, Mr Modi said over 65 percent of Indians today are below 35 years of age. He said, the country that has such youthful resource also has youthful dreams and is today progressing fast in every field.

The Prime minister said India and Portugal share democratic values and can contribute together in global welfare by bringing together people of all communities. He also lauded efforts of Portugal in taking forward the ‘Yoga movement’ in Europe.

Later, Mr Modi headed towards US capital Washington DC where he will hold talks with President Donald Trump.

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THE MAGIC OF YOGA TAKES OVER IN LATIN AMERICA

JUNE 25, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

The magic of Yoga takes over in Latin America: *Huma Siddiqui

Ambassador of the Republic of Costa Rica to India, Ms. Mariela Cruz Alvarez practicing Yoga.

There is no better feeling than to feel one with one’s inner self. For centuries Yoga is known to awaken in one, the inner peace and tranquility we often go looking for in material things.

Little surprise Latin Americans are clued in to this brilliant science. I fact they rightly consider India a land of yoga, meditation, philosophy, wisdom, culture and spiritualism. Yoga schools can be found all over the region. Yoga and meditation are taught in some Latin American jails to calm down the convicts. With miles of untouched natural habitat and the deeply held spiritual traditions of the Maya and Incan civilizations, Central and South America is the perfect place to embark on a spiritual journey.

Though Yoga has been practiced in the region for last several years, yet in last couple of year, the kind of ‘explosion’ in yoga seekers and awareness in Indian culture has increased rapidly. Infact, Yoga is now set for promotion in Peru, Bolivia and adjoining parts of Latin America, with a MoU being signed in New Delhi in this regard recently. The Embassy of India in Peru’s capital Lima has taken up the responsibility for the promotion of Voluntary Scheme for Evaluation and Certification of Yoga Professionals, developed by the Quality Council of India (QCI) at the bidding of the Ministry of AYUSH.

Little surprise then that Latin America is the destination of choice among yoga enthusiasts looking for ways to spice up their yoga retreat experiences – the region just never seems to run out of sizzling options. Countries including Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Peru; Brazil; Honduras; Guatemala; Mexico; Ecuador; Chile, all are sought after destinations by the yoga enthusiasts.

A small country Costa Rica has an Indian population of 200 in 5 million populations. But these 200 people have engaged a larger population of Costa Ricans to be looking at India with high esteem, for cultural, technological and economic reasons. Costa Rica is known as a jewel in Central America region for its natural beauty, peace and economical stability which have also led to expansion of seekers of healthy lifestyle. About a decade ago when an Indian company Havells acquired business of Sylvania worldwide, a young family moved to Costa Rica to manage the regional interest of the company. They not only managed the company, but also expanded the knowledge of India and aroused interest in the spiritual aspect of the Indian culture by opening up Indian restaurants in the country.

Keeping with the spirit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for June 21 to be International Yoga day, Kapil Gulati the owner of “Taj Mahal” restaurant developed an area to have regular Yoga sessions and Indian classical dance sessions, in addition to Indian cuisine cooking classes. The whole idea is to make mini India at Taj Mahal, where the mystique of India and its culture can be experienced by people living so far away from home. To add to the ambiance the owner has three peacocks –India’s national bird, which seems to love dancing in the wonderful weather of Costa Rica while locals are doing Yoga. The musical instruments at restaurants, Yoga classes, Indian classical dance classes, Hindi language classes, Indian cuisine cooking classes, Indian festival celebrations, Bollywood themed Costa Rican movie, … the Indian culture is blossoming in Costa Rica… and now Costa Rican Ambassador in India is herself a fine example how Indian culture has impacted positively to Costa Ricans.

“The world is going through a lot of havoc in the Kali Yuga and as long as we remain connected to whom we are and know where we are going and why we will help balance the chaos. Yoga is one of the many options to do this. Yoga is not a religion but a science and art and it can benefit all humanity, says Ambassador of the Republic of Costa Rica, Ms. Mariela Cruz Alvarez.

The yoga passionate who is a grandmother but doesn’t look it, says, “I got interested in yoga through a personal crisis. I started searching within for answers to my heart and my search took me here to India. After my first three trips to the north as a tourist I felt the calling to go south and I found my Guru, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and his grandson Sharath Joisin Mysore, Karnataka, back in 2003.”

Ms Alvarez has been to India 14 times including this assignment as an ambassador to India. “The last 11 trips to my school in India to practice Ashtanga yoga with Guruji and now Sharathji after his grandfather passing in 2009. My school is very popular in the West and many students from all over the world are appreciating the benefits of yoga as a traditional classical method. The source of yoga is India and that is very important to know because now many teach in the west with no qualifications. A lot of commercial yoga is watered down yoga as fitness or social gig, instead of a spiritual sadhana,” she says.

Yoga is getting very popular in Costa Rica and we are a hub for international teachers, yoga retreats, nature and practice. Costa Rica has amazing venues in the beaches, volcanes and jungle and yoga practice transforms us to appreciate beauty, peace and freedom- those values my country deeply understands. We are a nation of democracy and green development, small in size but big in heart and principles.

In her first mission as a diplomat after almost 30 years of raising a family and being an ambassador for Ashtanga yoga in the world, she says, “My intention in India as a diplomat is to meet my colleagues with an open heart, no matter if they practice or not. One of the gifts of this practice is acceptance of who we are and acceptance and unconditional love for others. I feel so grateful to know them and admire them all deeply. The blessing my Guru Sharath Jois gave me to teach has put me in touch with many wonderful people in Latin America, Europe and India. I have no words to thank him for his trust in me.”

She says that “I deeply admire India in all senses and that the wisdom that I have found here has transformed my life and the lives of those around me beyond any expectations. My Guruji used to say: Practice and all is coming. I have been through hard times as any soul in this life and yoga has supported me and healed me. My intention here now in my tenure is to promote peace and stability, the main value that Costa Rica has to offer the world besides our concern with the environment and our efforts for education and healthcare. I feel proud to be a Costarican and my country is very much interested in creating a deep relationship with yours. We may be small in size and population but big in intention. India has taught me so much: I hope I can serve my country in the best way and yours as well.”

******

*The Author is Senior Correspondent with the Financial Express and writes extensively about Latin America.

View expressed in the article are author’s personal.

Please also see the picture below

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PM MODI CALLS UPON PEOPLE TO USE E-GEM

JUNE 25, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called upon the people to use Government -E- Marketplace, E-GEM portal to sell their products or services to the government. Sharing his Mann Ki Baat on All India Radio with the countrymen and the people abroad today, the Prime Minister said, the E-GEM portal is an excellent example of minimum government and maximum governance. He said, its objective is minimum price and maximum ease, efficiency and transparency. The Prime Minister referred to the experience of a lady from Madurai in Tamil Nadu, who had got money from the MUDRA Scheme for starting her business through this portal. She used the portal to sell her products. He said, had she not written to him, he would not have realised that because of E-GEM, a housewife running a small business can have the items on her inventory purchased directly by the Prime Minister’s Office.

On International Day of Yoga which was celebrated just a few days back, Mr Modi said, Yoga has permeated the entire world and its threads have bound everyone together and have become the means to unite the world. He said, in a small country like Singapore , programmes were organised at 70 places with a week-long campaign and the United Nations released ten stamps on this day. He said, Yoga has created a world record again this time with Ahmedabad setting a new record where around 55 thousand people performed Yoga together. Referring to the benefits of practicing Yoga, Mr Modi said, now the health conscious society is taking steps from fitness to wellness realising that Yoga is the best way for true wellness.

Referring to landmark achievements in space science, the Prime Minister said whereas Indians have their feet firmly on the ground with Yoga, they have also their dreams to soar beyond horizons to far away skies.He said, India’s flag is flying high not only on earth but also in space and just two days ago, ISRO launched 30 nano Satellites with Cartosat-2 series. He said, the Satellites will give a lot of help in the field of agriculture and dealing with natural disasters. The Prime Minister also mentioned Mars Mission which has completed one thousand days in orbit. He said, the mission which had a life of six months, has not only crossed its life- span but even after thousand days Mangalyaan Mission is at work sending images, providing information and collating scientific data.

On increasing inclination of youth to the field of sports, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, if children are interested in sports they should be encouraged and supported by the school, college and family. He said, promotion of sports creates spirit of sportsmanship and it has a great significance in overall development of personality. Mr Modi said, every Indian sportsman should nurture dreams for the next Olympics. He also congratulated Badminton player Kidambi Shrikant for winning Indonesia Open.

On cleanliness drive, Mr Modi said, it has become a mass movement and is no longer confined to being a government programme. Referring to Mubarakpur village of Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh which has set an example of constructing toilets out of their own resources, the Prime Minister felicitated the residents of the village for transforming the pious occasion of Ramadan into opportunity for social welfare. He said, the village returned the 17 lakh rupees financial assistance received from the government saying this sum be used for other facilities in the village. He also thanked the people and administration of Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Uttarakhand and Haryana for achieving the objective of Open Defecation Free status.

Mr Modi also referred to another example of Vizianagaram District of Andhra Pradesh where District administration constructed 10 thousand household toilets with public participation in one hundred hours making 71 villages Open Defecation Free.

The Prime Minister called for further fortification of the strength and spirit of democracy which pervades the very being of Indian. In this context, he mentioned a letter written by Prakash Tripathi reminiscing about the emergency which was imposed on 25th of June in 1975. He said, democracy is not only a system but also a sanskar a part of ethos. Mr Modi said, there is a need to be constantly alert about democracy and the events that inflicted harm upon democracy must be remembered. He reminded that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. He said, 25th June 1975 was a dark night which no one can ever forget.

The Prime Minister urged people to welcome their guests by books or handkerchiefs instead of bouquets. He said, use of khadi handkerchiefs can be a support to innumerable underprivileged engaged in Khadi and Village Industries.

The Prime Minister also extended his heartiest greetings to all countrymen on the occasion of the Rath Yatra, Car festival of Lord Jagannath and Eid-ul- Fitr saying India’s diversity is its strength.

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“TRANSFORMING INDIA DIALOGUES’ BEING ORGANISED ON JUNE 28TH

JUNE 25, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Dear Sir/ Madam

Namaskar

This is to cordially invite you to “Transforming India Dialogues‘ being organised on June 28th at 4.00PM at Deputy Chairman Hall, Constitution Club of India (Nearest Metro Station-Patel Chowk).

Speaker – Shri. Jayant Sinha, Minister of State for Civil Aviation

Chair – Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha and Vice Chairman of Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini

Invitation card – Enclosed

Kindly note that the invitation is non-transferrable and entry is by invitation only.

A line of confirmation would be very helpful.

—

Sincerely

—–

Prashant Chauhan

Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini

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RANJEET & RAKESH BEDI ARE ALSO READY TO HIT THE STAGE OF LUVKUSH RAMLEELA THIS YEAR!!

JUNE 25, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

This year again the biggest Ramleela of Nation, LuvKush Ramleela is all set to hit the stage in a huge manner, along with very well known of B’town, such as Ranjeet, Rakesh Bedi, Manoj Tiwari, Vindu Dara Singh, Shahbaz Khan, Anup Jalota and many more. And as per the information revealed by the Chairperson of Ramleela Committee Ashok Aggarwal, this Year’s Ramleela is gonna be bigger in comparison with last time.

This latest Press Conference of Ramleela witnessed by the presence of Ranjeet, Rakesh Bedi, Ramesh Goyal and Ashok Aggarwal himself. And their enthusiasm was entirely visible for the same. According to the media interactions & the info. shared Ranjeet will play the character of Subahu, Rakesh Bedi will be shangigan, Ramesh Goyal is Maareech.

As per the characters revealed in last Press Conferences, Avtar Gill will be playing the role of ‘khar’ whereas the role of Meghnad will be played by Shahbaz Khan. Rupa Dutta, who has also played the role of Sita previously will be playing the role of Kekai this year. Vishal Kawar will be Ram, Sita will be Shubhi Sharma, Manoj Tiwari will be seen as Angad, Anup Jalota as Kevat, Shankar Sahni as Raja Dashrath. Raza Murad will portray the role of Kumbhkaran, Surendra Pal will be Raja Janak, Jagdish Kaliraman, will be playing Hanuman this year. Mukesh Rishi will play the role of Raavan, whereas Vindu Dara Singh will be Parshuram.

It is for sure, LuvKush Ramleela is all set to put the stage on fire and mesmerize the devotees. Well, the 40-year-old LuvKush Ramleela will be showcased from 21st September till 1st October 2017.

—
Shailesh Giri
Effective Communication
(A Division of Shailesh Giri Media Group)
Mobile-9811222325

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GUJARAT ‘JYOTIGRAM YOJNA’ MOSTLY FLOPPED FEEDER LOSSES 56%

JUNE 25, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

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June25, 2017 (C) Ravinder Singh progressindia2015@gmail.com

Way back in 1990 I first proposed to reduce T&D Losses in Punjab when PSEB led by NS Vasant first time in India released detailed account of Punjab Electricity Board working disclosed high T&D Losses. In 1991 UP CM invited Investors to meet him in Le Meridian Hotel Delhi. I met him in presence of TSR Subramanian who was then Chief Secretary.

In 27 years India couldn’t reduce T&D Losses – Particularly Rural Feeders. Ex CM Gujarat falsely claimed to have greatly improved Rural Power supply. Reports here points out High Rate of Transformer Failures 18.82% [CAG], LT & HT Lines failure – Poles or Tower Collapses in storms and 8 hour power supply for tube-wells.

CAG report had attested the fact that Gujarat Rural Feeder losses which were as high as 63% before Jotigram Yojna merely reduced to 56% or still too high.

Agriculture accounted for 38% of Electricity Sales in Gujarat FY06 which has reduced to 27.7% FY16. T&D losses in 2006 was 26.28% has reduced slightly to 23.04% in FY16.

Jyotigram Yojna didn’t reduce T&D Losses of Rural Feeders Much therefore was Mostly FLOP – Gujarat T&D loses Rs.10,000 Cr/Yr.

http://www.cag.gov.in/sites/default/files/audit_report_files/Gujarat_Commercial_2011.pdf

http://www.cag.gov.in/sites/default/files/audit_report_files/Gujarat_Report_No_1_of_2017_on_PSUs.pdf

http://www.gercin.org/uploaded/document/9388701b-a52d-45e3-a50c-c73a67acfd68.pdf – http://www.gercin.org/orders.aspx?o_cat=1

Commission’s Analysis P-61 – Transmission Losses 28.8%.

PGVCL has computed the energy requirement based on the actual distribution losses of 24.73% and actual energy sales of 21,189 MUs and transmission loss of 3.74%. [Energy Required was 29,776 MU] Technical Losses 28.8%.

PGVCL Agriculture accounted for 4437+2648 = 7085 MU Sales or 33.4%.

Technical Losses of Four Gujarat PSU Discoms 2015-16 [T-4.5 & T-5.1]

Name	Energy Sale	Energy Rqrd	Agri. Sale	% Agri Sale	Trans. Loss %	T&D Loss*
PGVCL	21,189	29,776	7,086	33.4	28.8	31.8%
MGVCL	8,675	10,412	1,182	13.6	16.7	19.7%
DGVCL	16,336	18,976	765	4.7	14.0	17.0%
UGCVL	17,254	20,509	8,548	49.5	15.9	18.9%
Total	63,454	79,673	17,581	27.7	20.4	23.04%

*Revenue Gap of about 3% approx.

Ravinder Singh, Inventor & Consultant, INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND PROJECTS

Y-77, Hauz Khas, ND -110016, India. Ph: 091- 9871056471, 9718280435, 9650421857

Ravinder Singh* is a WIPO awarded inventor specializing in Power, Transportation,

Smart Cities, Water, Energy Saving, Agriculture, Manufacturing, Technologies and Projects

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SATAN’S PARADISE SUCCESSFULLY CONCLUDE LIMCA RECORD ATTEMPT IN DELHI IN ROPE SKIPPING

JUNE 25, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Satan’s Paradise Successfully Conclude Limca Record Attempt in Delhi in Rope Skipping

New Delhi:Friday 23rd June

Satan’s Paradise -House of Media a production house and a sports management firm organised a two day Indian Sports and Fitness Carnival wherein to celebrate and mark the International Olympic Day on 23rd of June, it attempted the Limca Book of Record in mass demonstration for Rope Skipping for two minutes.

In the Limca Book of Record Attempt 552 people including kids from different age groups and several coaches of different sports like Taekwondo and athletics also took part in the attempt. People came from Delhi-NCR, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh to attempt the record in rope skipping.

The attempt was made with the support of Skip -N- Fit India Trust at Thyagaraj Stadium in New Delhi and was led by its president Mr Nirdesh Sharma who highlighted the importance of the healthy lifestyle. Skip-N-Fit India and Satan’s Paradise will jointly organise tournaments across India in rope skipping across India.

“Rope Skipping promotes a healthy lifestyle. It helps in building strength and stamina for every sport. Ten minutes of rope skipping every day helps to keep one fit”, said Sharma.

The chief guest for the day was Anca Verma, Chairperson, Olialia World who announced the plans to start its Sports Academy with world class infrastructure and training program in collaboration with Satan’s Paradise and ISAFC.

“ Olialia World is keen on promoting and nurturing the sporting talents of India. .We are very soon coming up with Sports Acdemies across India,” said Verma.

The motto behind this activity was to spread the message of Move, Learn & Discover sharing Olympic Values and discover new sports to each individual. Platforms like ISAFC give players a chance to learn to perform in a competitive environment and test their skills & competence.

The organisers said that every phase will see something new and interesting for the sports lovers. We are also supporting with our expertise, to all upcoming sports startups under the sports based incubator and accelerator.

“ This time under ISAFC, on International Olympic Day, we’re attempting to create Limca Book of Record in Rope Skipping. We aim to hold ISAFC twice in a year or more. With such activities we are also opening avenues for all those players and sports persons who are denied of the right opportunities to showcase their skills. The main aim is to include participation from every age group and make it bigger in every way possible and promote sports as a way of life”,said Sushant Malhotra, Director, Satan’s Paradise also the organisers for the event.

It was the third season of ISAFC and this time the carnival had sports like Arm Wrestling (Men and Women), Badminton by Boys & Girls(Under 15, Under 17 & Under 19 Years), Field Archery (Open Championship), Futsal (Boys Under 9, 13 & 17 years & Open Girls), Rope Skipping Open Championship (by Boys &Girls)

Satan’s Paradise has also developed an app for the participants to register by the name of the Total Sports League (TSL) App. TSL will be promoting every kind of tournament on its app be it district, state or national level international level tournaments to list their activities so that the players can get access to play every sport happening across the nation and doesn’t miss the opportunity.

Brief

(About ISAFC)

Indian Sports & Fitness Carnival (ISAFC) is an attempt to bring all the sports and fitness freaks on one stage from across the globe to create awareness about the importance of a healthy and wealthy life. ISAFC is a platform that gives opportunities to and creates awareness among sports persons from the sports and fitness fraternity, as well as the common people who aspire to make a career in the sports field.

Objective:

We are working on launching the Sports Incubator and Accelerator Program and Sports Academies across India which will focus on providing awareness the youth right from the grassroots level about the opportunities available with them. It will also focus on skilling them in right manner by providing the right mentorship & guidance. It will be conducting regular practical sessions, workshops & tournaments and maintain their performance record.

Company Profile: About Satan’s Paradise

We are a production house, an event management & sports management company which deals in organizing various activities involving Schools, Colleges, Universities, Corporate, Clubs, Embassies & High Commissions, also deal in making corporate films & documentaries and organizing events for our esteemed clients.

We are actively involved in developing and customizing marketing strategies for niche segments as per the requirement. We focus on creating our own Intellectual Event Properties that provide solution to brand visibility and brand building with prime focus on ROI.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/isafc arnival

Twitter:@isafcarnival

Instagram: isafcarnival

In case you have any query please call Sushant and Divvisha for any clarifications.

Sushant Malhotra- 9810359486

Email –sushant.malhotra@gmail.com

Arun Pabreja- 9811474241

Email –arunpabreja@gmail.com

isafcarnival@gmail.com

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PRESS CONFERENCE ON GST

JUNE 25, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Ref. No.: 2255/1/45 24th June, 2017

The Chief Reporter/Photographer.

New Delhi

Dear Sir/Madam,

Subject : Press Conference on GST

The Goods & Services Tax (GST) is a technology based taxation system much different from the current VAT, Excise & Services Tax regime. Stated to be a landmark reform in Indirect Taxation System of the Country, it has several aspects of compliance only through digital technology. Though it is going to be implemented from 1st July,2017 yet large number of traders across the Country are still remain unknown about not only the basic fundamentals of GST but even the compliance obligations.

In order to make trade and other sectors of economy aware of the core factors of GST and its compliance thereof, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has prepared a GST White Paper pertaining to important aspects of GST and its compliance which will make everyone familiar with GST and make Traders & others tax compliant. In this regard your worthy cooperation will go a long way in empowering traders and others about GST compliance.

In this context, a Press Conference will be held on Monday, the 26th June,2017 at 3.00 p.m. at Conference Hall, NDMC Convention Centre, Parliament Street, Opposite Jantar Mantar, New Delhi to release ” GST White Paper” and to seek your valued cooperation in disseminate vital information of GST to traders and people in general.

We shall be grateful if you kindly depute a Staff Correspondent and Photographer of your esteemed news paper to cover the same.

Thanking you. With kind regards

Yours truly

Praveen Khandelwal

National Secretary General

Contact Cell : +91-9891015165

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NDTV-ICICI BANK CASE: WHAT’S THE INSIDE STORY?

JUNE 25, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Ranjeev C Dubey New Delhi

We live in a world riddled with Moral Ambiguity. Aadhar should bring transparency and probity in our society yet our Government has handed over our confidential secrets to private parties in a patently non-transparent way. The judiciary remains the last bastion of hope in a polity that is fast descending into moral bankruptcy, yet we are sweeping irrefutable evidence of corruption at the highest level of the judiciary under the carpet.

Our Government wishes to unveil a new golden age of moral rectitude, yet the most elementary principles of democratic plurality are being trampled by rampaging food faddists. To me, the greatest irony of the age of Social Media is that we are testing the limits of this moral ambiguity riding on the back of a virulent form of bipolar disorder. The shenanigans around NDTV are only the latest case in point.

The facts, such as we know them, can be summarized as follows. On June 2nd, 2017, a shareholder of both NDTV and ICICI Bank registered an FIR against Pranoy and Radhika Roy claiming they conspired to defraud ICICI Bank of some Rs. 48 Crores. The saga began in 2008 when the Roy striggered an open offer in the wake of their decision to buy back some shares of NDTV.

In July 2008, they obtained short term bridge finance of Rs 500 Crores from Indiabulls and then set to the task of finding a way to pay back Indiabulls. Three months later, on 23rd October, 2008, they persuaded ICICI Bank to grant them a loan of Rs. 375 Crores against a pledge of all their shares in NDTV carrying interest at roughly 19%.

On the face of it, this loan violated the Banking Regulation Act which did not allow Roys to pledge more than 30% of their shares to ICICI Bank. Just so that we don’t lose perspective, this violation carries a penalty of Rs. 1 Crore or twice the amount involved, whichever is more. No jail time is prescribed. As far as I am concerned, if ICICI Bank wants Roys to pledge more shares that they are allowed to, then it’s for ICICI Bank to explain what they were smoking at the time.

There is a second element to this bit. RBI’s Master Circular dated 28.8.1998, clause 10(vi) requires Banks to “ensure that advance against shares are NOT USED to enable the borrower to acquire or retain controlling interest in the company/companies or to facilitate or retain inter-corporate investments.” As far as I am concerned, it’s something the bank needs to worry about. Besides, NDTV can argue that they took the money to pay Indiabulls, not buy shares!

You may think that is too slick by half, but then, welcome to the real world of M&A! It’s called transaction structuring.

That takes us to Act 2. In 2009, Reliance Ventures Limited extended a “zero coupon optionally convertible loan” of Rs. 403.85 Crores to its minimally capitalized ‘paper’ subsidiary SRPLimited. In turn, SRP Limited extended the same courtesy to its minimally capitalized associate company VCPLimited).

In turn, VSP Limited passed through the money to RRPR Holdings, the wholly owned Roy entity which held part of NDTV’s equity. Now why would Reliance want to jump three hoops to give money to RRPR Holding? I don’t have to tell you. A bunch of regulatory handcuffs prevented Reliance from doing directly what it did indirectly.

I also don’t need to tell you that if you want to do something about these allegations, you have to talk to Reliance. Wildly gesticulating and screaming conspiracy theories doesn’t change the fact that it’s not a NDTV problem.

Now behold Act 3. With the Reliance money secured, RRPR Holding purchased more NDTV shares from the Roystill RRPR’s ownership of NDTV ballooned to 29% while Roy’s shareholding in NDTV dropped to 32%. Through this process, Roys also ended up personally richer by Rs. 53.85 Crores! Seen in isolation, it is debatable if a law was broken in this piece of it. The violation if any occurred under SEBI’s Takeover Regulations provided you treat the Convertibles issued to Reliance as a change in control even though the Takeover Code doesn’t define it like that.

On a worse case basis, should SEBI decide that a violation had occurred, the Roys will pay a penalty in an amount not exceeding Rs. 1 Crore. This is something for SEBI to look at, not the local thanedaar!

This brings us to the final and fourth act. On August 6th, 2009, ten months after the loan was taken, ICICI Bank entered into a settlement with the Roys, and accepted the reduced sum of Rs. 350 Crores in settlement of the outstanding. As confirmed by a letter of August 7th, 2009, ICICI Bank treated the debt as fully paid though RRPR Holdings still showed a pending amount of Rs 4.4 Crores as due.

On this basis, the FIR claims that ICICI Bank gave up Rs 4.4 Crores of principal amount due with interest on top, thus taking a net haircut of Rs 48 Crores.

No doubt, there is reason to pause. Did ICICI Bank take a genuine commercial haircut or did it get scalped? Considering that the Roy’s ended up with an extra Rs 53.85 Crores in their personal accounts, they were clearly capable of giving Rs 48 Crores to the bank. I am sure there is much to be said on both sides of this subject.

I do observe though that settling a loan too cheap is something RBI would normally look at as a governance issue, not CBI, and most certainly not at the instance of a minor shareholder of ICICI Bank. It’s not a crime for a Bank to take a haircut. We need more substance to sustain an allegation of fraud, though fraud it may well be. I looked hard at the FIR and found nothing more than vague allegations in highly emotive rhetoric all but drowning under ridiculous verbosity and split infinitives.

In this, the FIR is unexceptional. Desi FIRs engage in spin doctoring all the time, mainly in order to stretch the accusations beyond their natural logic and get maximum flexibility for constructing alternative narratives in the future. If someone objects to the verbiage, the cops shrug: “oh but this is an FIR and the investigation is still to come”.

That may well be but the same verbiage allows the cops to swoop into the homes of the accused at all hours of the day or night and arrest the poor victim without just cause. As for the rest of us, we withdraw into a shell and weakly protest that “there can be no smoke without fire”. Never do we stop to ask what indeed is the precise nature of the ostensible fire that created this dramatic smoke?

Viewed from a distance, the same set of interconnected facts has seen NDTV repeatedly attacked over the last several years. In 2014, the Income Tax Department accused the Roys of not paying tax on the money they made on the sale of NDTV shares to RRPR. The Roys claim the Department’s lawyer has stalled the proceedings for years together and doesn’t allow them to be heard.

SEBI has been examining the legality of a range of actions taken by NDTV for a decade now. On June 8th, 2016, it issued a show cause notice to NDTV for violation of the Takeover Code amongst other things. This too has been hanging fire for a long time.

At the end of the day then, what are we to make of the fate of a TV channel that has frequently been critical of the Government? If you smell smoke in ICICI Bank’s Rs. 48 Crore haircut, wouldn’t you argue that the press cannot claim immunity from prosecution on the patently dishonest argument that it would muzzle freedom of speech?

__._,_.___

Posted by: Anant Trivedi <trivedianant@gmail.com>

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GERMAN BILL TO VOTE ON GAG SOCIALMEDIA HATEPOSTS ?

JUNE 24, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

The German Media Gagged

Media being targeted for their imperfect stance with such massive fine i unpalatable and against human rights.

Media agencies

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PM INTERACTS WITH AMERICAN CEOS

JUNE 26, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today met and interacted with 20 top American CEOs at a roundtable meeting in Washington DC.

Welcoming the CEOs, the Prime Minister said that the world is focused on India’s economy. He said a young population and a rising middle class are among factors which generate global interest in the Indian economy, especially in areas such as manufacturing, trade and commerce, and people to people contacts.

He said that in the last three years, the Union Government in India has focused on improvement in quality of life of the people.

The Prime Minister said this requires global partnership. And therefore, he added, the Union Government in India is working on principles such as Minimum Government, Maximum Governance.

The Prime Minister spoke of the recent reforms, and noted that the Union Government alone has initiated 7000 reforms. He said this indicates India’s quest for global benchmarks. He mentioned the Government’s emphasis on efficiency, transparency, growth and benefit for all.

On GST, the Prime Minister said that this is becoming a reality after years of effort. He added that its implementation is a complex task that may well be the subject of future case-studies. He added that this shows India can take big decisions and implement them swiftly.

CEOs appreciated the Prime Minister for his policy initiatives and the work done in recent times towards ease of doing business. Initiatives such as Digital India, Make in India, Skill Development, Demonetization and the thrust towards renewable energy came in for much appreciation from a number of CEOs. Several CEOs showed their willingness to be partners in skill development and education initiatives. They also mentioned social initiatives being undertaken by their companies in India, in spheres such as women empowerment, digital technology, education and food processing. Themes such as infrastructure, defence manufacturing and energy security also came up for discussion.

In conclusion, the Prime Minister thanked the CEOs for their observations. Looking forward to his meeting with President Trump tomorrow, he said India and the US have shared values. He said if America becomes stronger, India will be a natural beneficiary. He also added that India believes that a strong America is good for the world. He sought enhanced attention from the CEOs in areas such as women empowerment, renewable energy, startups and innovation. He suggested linking sanitary practices, products and technologies with the requirements of school going girls. He reiterated that his primary interest is improving the quality of life in India.

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BJP : EID MUBARAK CELEBRATIONS

JUNE 26, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

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NAPM CONDEMN LYNCHING OF MUSLIM YOUTH-JUNAID

JUNE 26, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

NAPM Condemn Lynching of Muslim Youth-Junaid

Demand strict action against all those guilty

New Delhi | 26th June: National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) is shocked and horrified by the gruesome murder of sixteen year old Junaid Khan in running train enroute to Mathura from Delhi on 22nd June. This happened in public view inside a train where ordinary people were travelling to their respective destinations. Junaid and his three brothers were returning after shopping for Eid. The attackers were calling them ‘beef eaters’ and taunted for their appearance. The attack happened mainly due to their appearance as Muslim fellows. What is shocking is the involvement of ordinary people in this incident. We learn from newspaper reports that the CCTV recordings at the railway station have been tampered with that there is much silence about the incident with hardly anyone coming forward to talk about what happened on that fateful day.

We hold the politics of RSS and its political outfit BJP directly responsible for such outburst of hatred. Sangh Parivar has decorated people who have openly abused minorities, have failed to rein in cow vigilantes who have been on killing spree all over the country, their online sena are spreading fake videos and messages depicting Muslims as anti-nationals and supporter of Pakistan and their divisive and dirty politics over beef has poisoned the minds of ordinary people. The designs of the BJP government was out in the open when in 2016 Haryana government had assigned the police to check samples of biryani for beef. We also see it as RSS-BJP efforts towards Nationalization of the Gujarat-2002 Model – killings of Muslim and Dalit citizens on one hand and throttling of the constitution on the other.

NAPM stands with the family of Junaid and prays for his brother who has been stabbed and is in serious condition. We demand a high level probe and immediate arrests of all those guilty. We demand ban on cow vigilante outfits whose soul aim is to terrorise and extort money.

Today, two members of NAPM-Vimal Bhai and Uma-visited the family of deceased Junaid and expressed condolences. A detailed write-up based on their visit will be issued shortly.

We call upon all the progressive forces of the country to join hands and resist the fascist onslaught the kind this country has never seen before. NAPM along with like-minded organisations will fight the communal and divisive forces with all its strength.

Contact: 9718479517

Medha Patkar, Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) and National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM)

Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey and Shankar Singh Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) and National Campaign for People’s Right to Information and NAPM

Prafulla Samantara, – Lok Shakti Abhiyan & NAPM, Odisha;

Lingraj Azad – Samajwadi Jan Parishad – Niyamgiri Suraksha Samiti, NAPM, Odisha;

Binayak Sen and Kavita Srivastava, People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL)

Sandeep Pandey, Socialist Party and NAPM, Uttar Pradesh

Sudhir Vombatkere, Senior Activist, NAPM, Karnataka

Gabriele Dietrich, Penn Urimay Iyakkam, Madurai and NAPM, TN;

Geetha Ramakrishnan, Unorganised Sector Workers Federation, NAPM, TN;

Arul Doss, NAPM Tamil Nadu

Arundhati Dhuru, Nandlal Master, Manesh Gupta – NAPM, UP;

Richa Singh, Sangatin Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan, NAPM-UP

Vilayodi Venugopal, CR Neelakandan and Prof. Kusumam, NAPM, Kerala

Vimal Bhai – Matu Jan Sangathan, NAPM-Uttarakhand & Jabar Singh, NAPM, Uttarakhand;

Sister Celia – Domestic Workers Union & NAPM, Karnataka;

Rukmini V P, Garment Labour Union, NAPM, Karnataka;

Anand Mazgaonkar, Krishnakant – Paryavaran Suraksh Samiti, NAPM Gujarat;

Kamayani Swami, Ashish Ranjan – Jan Jagran Shakti Sangathan & NAPM Bihar;

Mahendra Yadav – Kosi Navnirman Manch, NAPM Bihar;

Sister Dorothy, NAPM Bihar

Dayamani Barla, Aadivasi-Moolnivasi Astivtva Raksha Samiti, NAPM Jharkhand

Dr. Sunilam and Adv. Aradhna Bhargava – Kisan Sangharsh Samiti NAPM Madhya Pradesh

Bhupender Singh Rawat – Jan Sangharsh Vahini, NAPM, Delhi

Rajendra Ravi, Nanu Prasad, Madhuresh Kumar, Amit Kumar, Himshi Singh, Uma Kapari, Zaved Mazumder, NAPM, Delhi

Faisal Khan, Khudai Khidmatgar, NAPM Haryana

J S Walia, NAPM Haryana;

Kailash Meena, NAPM Rajasthan;

Amitava Mitra & Avik Saha, NAPM West Bengal;

Chennaiah, Andhra Prdaesh Vyavasaya Vruttidarulua Union (APVVU) and NAPM-AP

Ramakrishnam Raju, United Forum for RTI and NAPM, AP

Suniti SR, Suhas Kolhekar, Prasad Bagwe – NAPM, Maharashtra;

Gautam Bandopadhyay, NAPM, Chhattisgarh

Anjali Bharadwaj, National Campaign for People’s Right to Information and NAPM

Kaladas Dahariya, RELAA, NAPM, Chhattisgarh

Bilal Khan, Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan, Mumbai,

Meera Sanghamitra, NAPM Telangana-AP

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CAIT RELEASES “WHITE PAPER ON GST” FOR QUICK GUIDANCE ON GST COMPLIANCE

JUNE 26, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Continuing with it’s commitment of creating mass awareness towards fast track implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST), the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), unveiled “GST White Paper” in a well-attended conference organised in New Delhi.

Consisting all the important aspects of GST and its compliance, “GST White Paper” released by CAIT is meant to empower the traders with all the required knowledge pertaining to GST and moreover, it is also intended to make traders and others GST compliance.

In the run up to GST which is slated to be implemented from July 1, CAIT has already taken the note of the ground reality that a large number of traders across the country still remain unaware about the basic fundamentals of GST and the compliance obligations. Apart from educating traders and other sectors, on the core factors of GST, the white paper released by CAIT also represents its viewpoints on the new law and helps readers understand the nation’s biggest tax reform in a cohesive manner.

Unveiling the “GST White Paper”, CAIT National President Mr. B. C. Bhartia & Secretary General Mr. Praveen Khandelwal in a joint statement released in the conference today said, “Though GST is going to be implemented in less than a week from today, yet large number of traders across the Country are still unknown about not only the basic fundamentals of GST but even the compliance obligations. Through this White Paper, we intend to disseminate vital information on Goods & Services Tax (GST) to traders and people in general. It is important for the traders and all to understand that GST being a technology based taxation system is much different from the current VAT, Excise & Services Tax regime. Stated to be a landmark reform in Indirect Taxation System of the Country, it has several aspects of compliance which can be fulfilled only through digital technology.”

For seamless GST implementation, CAIT has already taken a big leap forward in its attempt to train and educate the trading fraternity on GST compliance and adoption of digital payments through its national campaign launched on May 01, 2017 in association with MasterCard, HDFC Bank and Tally Solutions under which more than 130 market camps, seminars and workshops are being organised in close vicinity of small traders across the country in various geographies of the country.

CAIT has also launched Digi Varta national campaign including “DIGITAL RATH” to educate and empower small business and the trading community on enhanced adoption of digital payments. The mega initiative will also help traders’ transition towards the GST regime. Besides trading community, CAIT has also aimed to reach out to the farmers, transporters, hawkers, small and medium enterprises, consumers, women entrepreneurs and self-employed groups, among other sections. Obviously, this campaign by CAIT is in line with the prime minister’s efforts for converting the Indian economy into a cashless economy.

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7TH NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SCIENTIFIC UPDATES ON ZOONOTIC DISEASES CONTROL

JUNE 26, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

7th National Conference on Scientific Updates on Zoonotic Diseases Control at AIIMS New Delhi on 6th July 2017

Venue: Dr Ramalingamswami Board Room AIIMS New Delhi

Organisers: Millennium India Education Foundation AND

Division of Clinical Microbiology & Molecular Medicine AIIMS
Dear Colleagues/Friends

why important to attend:

Conference would discuss about how to diagnose early,treat effectively, manage and follow preventive guidelines on some of the animal diseases(pets,wild,birds,domestic etc) which are knocking at our doors to cross thier primary host barriers and infect human beings.

It is well established scientifically established that almost 70% of human infections are traced to animals as primary hosts.

FOCUS

This conference will mainly focus on multi-disciplinary collaboration for promoting animal and human health and will provide a common platform for veterinary, medical and environmental professionals where they can interact with each other and share their experiences in preventing the spread of Zoonotic diseases.

PREREGISTRATION IS A MUST AND WILL BE CLOSED ONCE SEATS ARE FILLED.

Please be informed that the venue can accommodate only up to 100-120 delegates and which will be filled on first cum first serve basis.

Some of the key areas to be covered in this conference are:

All About Zika diagnosis by Prof. of Medicine Dr Kamlesh Upadhyay B J Medical college Ahmadabad Gujarat where first case of Zika in India has been diagnosed.

Preventing Rabies by using Rabies Immunoglobulins directly in the wound bitten by suspected rabid animal by epidemiologist Dr Omesh Bharati Himachal Pradesh Health services Shimla HP

Biotechnological approach to prevent zoonotic diseases by Dr Lal Krishna Former Animal Husbandry commissioner Govt.of India & Chief Consultant Dept.of Biotechnology Govt.of India

Zoonotic diseases on North India Watch List by Dr P K Uppal ,the first Indian scientist who isolated NIPPAH virus in Malaysian outbreak in 1998.

Sea Food (Aquatic-Fish) and wild animal zoonosis by Dr Jyoti Misri ICAR

Need to Study Economic Impact of zoonotic diseases in human by Dr Uday Kakroo convenor conference and Director Millennium India Education Foundation New Delhi

Yours Sincerely,

Dr Uday Kakroo Dr Sarman Singh

Convenor Organising Chairman

Director MIEF HOD of Clinical Microbiology & Molecular Medicine AIIMS

Ph 9810301261 Ph 9810813435

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PRESS CONFERENCE & TO SHARE WITH YOU THE UNIQUENESS OF THEIR LATEST FILM ‘CHEER HARAN’

JUNE 26, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

PRESS INVITATION

Twister Entertainment cordially invites you to attend the Press Conference & to share with you the uniqueness of their latest film

‘CHEER HARAN’

(Indian film based on the attempt to showcase the psyche of Haryana in the aftermath of Jaat Reservation Agitation 2016.)

To be addressed by:

Randeep Hooda
Kuldeep Ruhil (Director)

Time: 4:00 pm

Date: 27th June 2017 (Tuesday)

Venue: Spice Cinemas, Sec 25 A, Noida

You are requested to send correspondents/ photographers/ camera crew for the Press Conference.

R.S.V.P

Shailesh Giri

9811222325(M)

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DELHI FURNITURE FEDERATION :’FURNITURE’ IN 28% SLAB OF G.S.T NOT ACCEPTABLE TO US:

JUNE 26, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Today the entire funiture market across India is closed on the important ffestival day of Eid because the Furniture trading fraternity feels that being in 28% Slab of G.S.T will harm the entire furntiure manufactuering and trading companies with such high slab from 12 % to 28 5. Furntiure business fraternity categorically telling media that it is not acceptable to us:

The decision of inclusion of ‘Furniture’ in 28% Slab of G.S.T and it being declared as an item of luxury, along with decrease of import duty on Furniture Goods to 10% is surely to bring doomsday to India Furniture Industry. It is also an irony when Government is promoting ‘Make In India’, this decision is surely against Spirit of ‘Make in India’, allowing the markets to be flooded by more imported Goods. In regards to this, we considered certain points, and demands:

It is already well known fact that imported Furniture Goods have encroached its way up to 60% of total Market Share which has already become a threat for Indian Manufacturers. Now as mentioned above, the decision of Government to further decrease the import Duty will surely add to insurmountable problems presently faced by Industry. Foreign Goods will encroach the more of markets, which shall render 2 Lakh 70 Thousand Professionals adjoined with industry Jobless and this will be a BLACK DAY in history of Indian Manufacturing Industry.
In today’s world, from Offices to Hospitals, from Schools to Homes, Furniture has surely become a necessity. Not only this, Indian usually Gift furniture for e.g. Bed, Sofa etc. in Daughters’ wedding, and moreover In Business premises, Office Furniture is a “must” need.

Then, this is totally incomprehensible, on what basis G.S.T Council declared Furniture as “Luxury”, whereas Gold, Silver and Diamond which are more of Luxury are surely underrated by G.S.T council.

As request of Furniture manufactures, Furniture regardless Manufactured of Wood, Iron, Steel, Iron, Glass, Cane should be kept under G.S.T slab of 12.5% instead of proposed 28%.
The said exemption of 75 Lakhs should be withdrawn, for benefit of Industry, as it will allow an alleyway for people to evade tax and will promote corruption.
Furniture Industry is in unbreakable relation with professionals and worksmen. More than 85% of these professionals and worksmen belong to Low-income class and are unorganized. Hence, for their Benefit, all the Furniture Items should be included under 1 HSN code.

When Delhi Furniture Association and Members of Confederation of All Furniture Market Association of India not only considered abovementioned points, in addition, to also support the included demands, shall close all their Business Premises, Showrooms, Factories to Organize an Protest/Dharna on 26_27 June. Many of them will gather at Shaheed Bhagat Singh PARK, Furniture Market, for suggestions regarding this movement. After which, A Delegation shall present a memo to Finance Minister of the Country, Shree Arun Jaitely.

Regards,

Ratinder Pal Singh Bhatia

President

Delhi Furniture Federation

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DELHI FURNITURE FEDERATION CALL MASS PROTEST

JUNE 26, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Delhi Furniture Federation call mass protest and strike against inclusion of Furniture in 28%GST slab by Central Govt.

From: Shakti Vidyarthi <shakti.vidya@gmail.com> on Sun, 25 Jun 2017 19:53:34 Add to address bookTo: You & 1 other | See Details

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Dear Media Friends!!,

Please find attached invitation of Delhi Furniture Federation call mass protest and 3 days all India strike against inclusion of Furniture in 28% G.S.T slab by Central Govt.

Media Conference will be organised on 26/6/2017 at Press Cub of India, Time 3.00 pm.

We kindly request you to send a journalist/photo journalist/cameraman of your esteemed publication/News Channels for cover this program.

—

Best Regards,
Shakti Raj Vidyarthi
M @ 9711118189
Email:- shakti.vidya@gmail.com
S. S. Media Communications

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LAUNCH OF DIGITAL MSME SCHEME

JUNE 27, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Kalraj Mishra Gives Away National Awards for MSME 2015
3 MoUs Exchanged with SAP India, Intel and HMT

National Awards for MSME 2015 was organized here today. Shri Kalraj Mishra, Union Minister for MSME gave away the MSME Awards 2015. Since the United Nations has declared 27th June as the UN Day for MSMEs, the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises has selected this day for distributing National Awards to Micro, Small and Medium Entrepreneurs for their outstanding performance, to express the gratitude of the Government to the achievers in this field which is so important for the national economy.

Shri Giriraj Singh and Shri Haribhai P. Chaudhary, Ministers of State for MSME were also present to grace the occasion. Shri KK Jalan, Secretary MSME, Shri Surendra Nath Tripathi, Development Commissioner, Shri. Vinai Kumar Saxena, Chairman, KVIC, Shri C.P. Radhakrishnan, Chairman, Coir Board also were present on the occasion.

On this occasion the Union Minister for MSME Shri Kalraj Mishra also launched ‘Digital MSME Scheme’ and handed over three Memorandums of Understandings to SAP India, Intel and HMT respectively. These steps would further boost Ministry’s effort towards making the Digital India Mission successful. The Digital MSME Scheme is revolving around Cloud Computing which is emerging as a cost effective and viable alternative in comparison to in-house IT infrastructure installed by MSMEs. In cloud computing, MSMEs use the internet to access common as well as tailor-made IT infrastructure including software for managing their business processes. Cloud computing is free from the burden of investment on hardware/software and infrastructural facilities. Therefore CAPEX converts into OPEX. This scheme would encourage MSMEs towards this new approach i.e. Cloud Computing for ICT adoption

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Kalraj Mishra, Union Minister for MSME informed that for the year 2015 the total number of National Awardees are 56 for various categories, including 50 for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and 6 for Banks. He also said that the Ministry of MSME is making concrete efforts in line with ‘Digital India’ and ‘Make in India’ visions of the Speaking on the occasion, Sh. Kalraj Mishra, Hon’ble Union Minister (MSME) informed that for the year 2015 the total number of National Awardees are 56 for various categories, including 50 for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and 6 for Banks. He also said that the Ministry of MSME is making concrete efforts in line with ‘Digital India’ and ‘Make In India’ visions of the Hon’ble Prime Minister. He congratulated the award winners for achieving excellence in various fields and expressed his hope that other enterprises in the sector would emulate the examples set by the awardees. He exhorted the MSME sector to walk the path of ZED and Lean manufacturing to make Hon’ble Prime Minister’s dream a reality.

Union Minister of State for MSME, Shri Haribhai P. Chaudhary stated that the importance of MSMEs and their contribution to the economic and social development of India could not be overemphasized. The MSME sector including Khadi & Village Industries and Coir Sector is the largest employer, after agriculture. The MSMEs have shown growth of over 10% in recent years, this being more than that recorded by the large corporates. The MSMEs provide employment to over 110 million persons through over 50 million enterprises producing over six thousand products. In view of its importance in the national economy, the MSME Sector has always been in the top priority of the present Government. He also listed out the achievements made in MSME sector during the last three years. Further, the Government has also extended the coverage of the loans covered under the Credit Guarantee Scheme from Rs. 1 Crore to Rs. 2 Crore and the corpus of Credit Guarantee Fund has also been enhanced from Rs. 2500 crore to Rs. 7500 crore to facilitate collateral free loans to Micro & Small Enterprises.

Union Minister of State for MSME, Shri Giriraj Singh stated that M/o MSME, as per the vision of Hon’ble Prime Minister, has taken a number of steps for ‘ease of doing business’ and ‘Digital India Mission’. Udyog Adhaar Memorandum launched in September, 2015, an online portal linked with Aadhaar number, can be filed within few minutes with no fee and on self certification basis. Furthermore, MSMEs can now access information on all schemes implemented by the Ministry on a single window at MyMSME mobile app.

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CLEAR ACTION PLAN DRAWN TO REVITALISE CRUISE TOURISM IN INDIA

JUNE 27, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Clear Action Plan drawn to revitalize Cruise Tourism in India

The Minister of Shipping and Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari has said that Cruise Tourism is one of the fastest growing components of the leisure industry worldwide, and can be a major growth driver for the Indian economy by generating huge employment opportunities. Shri Gadkari was speaking at the National Workshop on “Action Plan for Development of Cruise Tourism in India”, in New Delhi today. The workshop was also attended by Minister of State for Culture and Tourism (I/C) Dr Mahesh Sharma, and representatives of all stakeholder organizations – both from the government and the private sector – including regulatory agencies which deal with issues impacting cruise tourism.

Pointing out that tourism has the highest investment to employment multiplier Shri Gadkari said that on an average, employment generation on a cruise ship is 1 job for 3-4 passengers. With India having the potential to cater to 700 cruise ships per year as against 158 handled this year, the cruise industry can generate more than 2.5 lakh jobs for ten lakh cruise passengers, giving a big boost to the country’s economy. He further informed that cruise terminals are being developed at five major ports – Mumbai, Goa, Cochin, Mangalore and Chennai. In addition, the transport potential of 111 inland waterways will also be tapped. Work will start for developing ten inland waterways by the end of this year. This includes the rivers Ganga and Brahmaputra on which work is already in progress, he informed.

Shri Gadkari called upon state governments also to play an active role in promoting cruise tourism by developing, packaging and marketing their tourists attractions to draw more and more tourists.

The Ministry of Shipping has been working actively with all relevant ministries and organizations of the government to promote cruise tourism in the country. A joint task force headed by Secretary Shipping and Secretary Tourism was constituted for the purpose, and a global consultant was engaged for drawing up an Action Plan. The objective of today’s workshop was to discuss this Action Plan which requires various arms of the Government to take action for creating an enabling business eco-system for growth of cruise tourism in the country.

Speaking on the occasion Dr Mahesh Sharma said that India is fast growing as an attractive tourist destination. To realize the full potential for cruise tourism in the country there was a need for all stakeholders to work together, in cooperation with each other, and create a favourable ecosystem for growth.

Highlighting the efforts of the Shipping Ministry for promoting cruise tourism, Dr Alok Srivastava, Special Secretary (Shipping), informed that e visa, e-landing and incentives like minimum rebate of 30% on all cruise vessel related charges and additional rebate of 25% for coastal cruise movement have already been implemented. Further to this, a joint task force has been set up by the Ministry of Shipping & the Ministry of Tourism and an action plan for deriving standard operating procedure has been drawn, which would be implemented in a time bound manner after discussion with various stakeholders.

Secretary Tourism Smt Rashmi Verma said that the coming together of the Shipping and Tourism ministries to promote cruise tourism in the country would help maximize the benefits that the sector has to offer.

Stakeholders discussed several regulatory issues pertaining to various aspects of cruise port operations namely security, immigration, customs, ports in the workshop. They worked towards drawing up Standard Operating Procedures for all govt. organizations for cruise vessel handling.

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CHEER HARAN A TRUE PICTURE OF JAT RESERVATION AGITATION

JUNE 27, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Cheer Haran a true picture of Jat reservation agitation that claimed many lives

The jat reservation agitation that paralyzed Haryana and shamed India across the globe last year, moved Kuldeep Ruhil so deeply that he decided to make a documentary on it. The producer and director of the 90-minute documentary said, “As a film maker it’s my duty to prevent and show the reality of Haryana.” On being asked about the reason behind portraying it as a documentary and not a feature film, the director said, “Thereason behind the documentary is that a feature could be a statement with conclusion. But that could not be the idea because there would be no exploration otherwise. The documentary serves the reality.” He also added that, “You will see that the real victims and survivors are still positive but these reservations has kept alive the cast discrimination.”

Randeep Hooda on being asked about the jat agitation said, “Reservation should be on socio economic basis and not on the basis of cast. It should be for those who need it. Moreover, money and development can come back but lives cannot. That is the most tragic and terrible thing to happen. It became a riot later and a riot is faceless. There was no cast then. There were a lot of anti-social elements that made it to such a bad thing and it was not about reservation anymore it became a riot.” He also said that, “I am not in the movie. My role is only to take this to you people and it’s a story of my heart and home.”

The title is being compared to the heinous incident from the Mahabharata as Haryana was in a similar situation, unguarded and abandoned when all of a sudden the Jat agitation for OBC reservation flared up into a devastating inferno of sectarian violence. The film tries to make out why things turned violent, whether the brutality could have been averted?

Produced by Twister Entertainment, the Hindi documentary is all set to be released in abroad. It will first be showcased in film festival first and then will be released in India.

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52 DEAD IN NIGER UN MIGRATION AGENCY SEARCH

JUNE 27, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

52 Dead in Niger as UN Migration Agency Search and Rescue Operation Saves 600 Stranded Migrants in Sahara Desert

Niger – Sunday morning (25/06), 24 migrants alerted authorities in Niger that they had been stranded in the desert. It is not clear for how long they had been walking in the deserts of central Niger, near Seguedine. The 24 were taken to Seguedine, where one died on arrival, making the total number of survivors, 23. Among the survivors, there are migrants from Gambia, Nigeria, Senegal and Cote d’Ivoire.

They had been in a group of 75 migrants in three different cars, eventually abandoned by smugglers during the journey north. The authorities went back to where they had found the survivors to look for the other 51 who had been in the group, but they could not be found due to a sand storm. The migrants were presumed dead and search missions resumed once the sand storm ended – the bodies have yet to be found. IOM teams on the ground in Dirkou went this morning to pick up the 23 survivors and take them to IOM’s transit centre in Dirkou.

At IOM’s transit centres across Niger migrants receive direct assistance including water, food, shelter, and medical and psychological assistance. They are also assisted with voluntary return and reintegration upon their return.

More than 600 lives have been saved since April 2017 through a new search and rescue operation run by the UN Migration Agency (IOM) in Niger. The operation is financed by the Government of the Netherlands and the European Union (EU) Trust Fund.

Smugglers are exploring new migratory routes along the Northern Corridor, the busiest and most important transport route in East and Central Africa. IOM’s new operation provides life-saving assistance to migrants in distress in areas where there is limited humanitarian presence.

In April 2017, IOM launched a new project financed by the Government of the Netherlands: “Migrants Rescue and Assistance in Agadez Region” (MIRAA). The MIRAA project will last for 12 months, and aims to ensure the protection of migrants in hard-to-reach areas while also strengthening the management of migration by the Government of Niger.

“We are enhancing our capacity to assist vulnerable migrants stranded in Northern Agadez, towards the Niger-Libya border,” said Giuseppe Loprete, IOM Niger Chief of Mission. “Saving lives in the desert is becoming more urgent than ever. Since the beginning of the year we have been receiving frequent calls to rescue victims who embark on this route‎,” Loprete adds.

MIRAA is complementary to the larger initiative “Migrant Resource and Response Mechanism” (MRRM), developed by IOM Niger and financed by the EU Trust Fund. It aims to bring together in one mechanism a wide range of services and assistance for migrants, including assisted voluntary return to their countries of origin and reintegration once they return.

Adaora*, 22 years old, is one of the survivors of a rescue mission on 28 May, and the only woman to have survived from her group. Adaora left Nigeria in early April hoping for a better future in Europe. There were 50 migrants on the pick-up truck when it left Agadez for Libya, but only six are still alive today.

“We were in the desert for ten days. After five days, the driver abandoned us. He left with all of our belongings, saying he was going to pick us up in a couple of hours, but he never did,” Adaora recalls.

Adaora had left Nigeria with two close female friends, who both died in the desert. “They were too weak to keep going,” she sadly remembers. “We buried a few, but there were just too many to bury and we didn’t have the strength to do it,” Adaora adds.

During the next two days, 44 of the migrants died which persuaded the six left to start walking to look for help. “We had to drink our own pee to survive,” she says.

“I couldn’t walk anymore. I wanted to give up,” she recalls. Two other migrants carried her until a truck driver picked them up and took them to local authorities who then alerted IOM staff in Dirkou in the Agadez Region of north-eastern Niger.

By the time the six survivors reached IOM’s transit centre in Dirkou, Adaora was unconscious. She received medical assistance, and once recovered, she gave a detailed account of her experience to both the authorities and IOM staff. Two of the other migrants from the group went back with IOM staff and the authorities to find the bodies and identify the victims.

After having received medical assistance at IOM’s transit centres in both Dirkou and Agadez, Adaora is currently recovering at IOM’s transit centre for migrants in Niamey, awaiting her imminent voluntary return to Nigeria.

Adaora says she had no idea what the route was going to be like, otherwise she would have never left Nigeria. Going back, she wants to continue her work as a nurse. “I think it’s important we all assist each other when we are in need,” she says.

On 9 June, another 92 migrants were also rescued through an IOM search and rescue operation; among them were 30 women and children.

*Adaora’s name has been changed to protect her identity

For further information, please contact Monica Chiriac at IOM Niger, Tel: +227 8931 8764, Email:

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EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL

JUNE 27, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Standard Life Opening Event: Bloom

The third in a series of free to the public digital commissions celebrates the opening of the 2017 Festival season
Celebration of 70 years of the International Festival and Edinburgh’s status as the world’s Festival City
Standard Life Opening Event: Bloom reimagines the St Andrew Square inviting audiences to travel through a magical digital installation
For the first time the Opening Event takes place on two nights, Friday 4 & Saturday 5 August
Free event tickets released at 10.00am on Monday 3 July
A family of sponsors, donors, collaborators and city agencies have come to gether to make Standard Life Opening Event: Bloom possible

A full media kit including images further background information can be downloadedhere.

In 1947, Sir John Falconer – Lord Provost of Edinburgh and the International Festival’s first Chair – spoke of his ambition that the inaugural Edinburgh International Festival should ‘provide a platform for the flowering of the human spirit’. 70 years later, Edinburgh has bloomed into the world’s Festival City and its impact has been an constant inspiration, propagating new festivals throughout Europe and beyond. The Interantional Festival continues to celebrate our highest artistic achievements, our imagination and creativity, our generosity and diversity.

The third in a series of commissions from the International Festival’s Artistic Associates 59 Productions, the Standard Life Opening Event: Bloom is a an epic public artwork by 59 Director Leo Warner, which brings together large-scale animation and architectural projection mapping, celebrating the cultural reignition sparked by the Festival’s creation. Featuring a newly commissioned musical score from award winning composer Nick Powell, the Standard Life Opening Event: Bloom charts the joyful transformation of Edinburgh, from the darkness and division of the post-war years to the colour and vibrancy of today’s Festival City. Bloomdraws upon the architechtural beauty of the new town, Edinburgh’s rich cultural heritage and the technological innovation for which the city is renowned.

Today the International Festival unveiled new information about the Standard Life Opening Event: Bloom, naming the location as St Andrew Square in Edinburgh’s New Town. Following the successes of The Harmonium Project in 2015 and 2016’s Deep Time, this year’s opening event sees 59 Productions transform not only a single building but use the facades around St Andrew Square to create a vast canvas for projection-mapped animations. The Square becomes an immersive environment of colour, texture, sounds and sensations that places the audience at the centre of a visually stunning digital constellation.

The International Festival also announced that the Opening Event will take place on two nights for the first time, on Friday 4 and Saturday 5 August, giving audiences another opportunity to experience the Standard Life Opening Event: Bloom during the opening weekend of the International Festival. The event runs from 10pm to midnight on a 20 minute loop, allowing audience members to explore it at their own pace.

The Standard Life Opening Event: Bloom is made possible by support from a portfolio of partners across the private and public sector. This is the second event in a three year partnership between the International Festival and Standard Life – the International Festival’s Opening Event Partner – which supports the the event alongside other key funders including EventScotland and the University of Edinburgh, which have supported the Festival’s Opening Event since it’s inception in 2015. This year the Standard Life Opening Event: Bloom also enjoys support from the Scottish Government’s Edinburgh Festivals EXPO Fund. This year the EXPO Fund has made an additional £300,000 available to support the Festivals celebrating 70 years of the Festival City. Edinburgh International Festival is working with Essential Edinburgh to realise the event.

Entry to the event is free. To guarantee access for the 10pm start, a limited number of tickets are available for both nights and will be released from 10am on Monday 3 July. Ticket holders can access the event arena from 9pm ahead of the event beginning at 10pm on both evenings. Non-ticket holders are also welcome to attend and will be admitted from 10.30pm on a first come basis.

Fergus Linehan, Edinburgh International Festival Director, said: ‘Since 1947 the International Festival has welcomed the world to Edinburgh, creating an electric atmosphere in this city which has radiated back out across the globe. That energy has transformed Edinburgh and sparked not only the development of the Festival City we know today, but the creation of countless other festivals around the world. We’ll experience that transformative power first-hand in Bloom, as 59 Productions create a digital constellation in the centre of our city that places our story and Edinburgh’s people at its heart. It takes a huge amount of collaborative work to mount an event like this, and it wouldn’t be possible without the support of our partners. I’d like to thank all of them – Standard Life, the Scottish Government, EventScotland, the University of Edinburgh, Blue-i Theatre Technology and Mclcreate – their support enables us to present this incredible celebration of our Festival City in its birthday year’.

Leo Warner, Founder of 59 Productions and Director of Standard Life Opening Event:Bloom said: ‘Following two wonderful years working with Fergus and his team at the International Festival to create increasingly ambitious and engaging opening events, we faced a challenge in conceiving a new piece befitting the significance of this anniversary year. We decided to place audiences inside the event, encompassing them within nearly half a linear kilometre of projection-mapped architecture and bespoke lighting fixtures, and use music, sound and light to tell a story celebrating the 70 year history of the International Festival and the associated Edinburgh festivals, and the immesurable impact that it has had on the cultural world.’

Standard Life’s Chief Executive Keith Skeoch, said: ‘We’re delighted to be sponsoring the Edinburgh International Festival’s Opening Event, particularly as it celebrates its 70th Anniversary. The Standard Life Opening Event: Bloom will look back and celebrate the creativity and achievements of this world-class Festival. Both Standard Life and the International Festival have a rich heritage that reflects our shared commitment to excellence and our forward-looking approach, often leading the way through collaboration and innovation.The Standard Life Opening Event: Bloom will bring many examples of this to life and will inspire others for the future too.’
Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop said: ‘I never tire of championing Scotland’s outlook as a welcoming and progressive nation and this is particularly demonstrated in the arts. In 1947, the Edinburgh International Festival boldly invited artists from across Europe to perform in the capital. 70 years on, we’re revered as a festival nation that welcomes performers and audiences from every corner of the globe. We boosted the Scottish Government’s EXPO Fund by a further £300,000 to mark Edinburgh’s 70th anniversary as a festival city. I am delighted that part of this will support the Standard Life Opening Event: Bloom, an ambitious, inspiring and artistic visual representation of those 70 years. It is a fitting tribute to Edinburgh’s legacy as the city that inspired cities around the world to celebrate the arts.’

Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s Director of Events, said: ‘EventScotland is delighted to once again support the Standard Life Opening Event: Bloom at this year’s Edinburgh International Festival. Since its inception in 2015, the opening event has truly captured the imagination of festival-goers and opened it up to a whole new audience. Scotland is the perfect stage for events and we are very proud to have backed Fergus and his team’s vision to launch an event that has gone from strength to strength. In 2017, the Standard Life Opening Event: Bloom will be a wonderful visual celebration of the Festival’s 70th anniversary and Scotland’s Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology.’
Professor Dorothy Miell, Vice-Principal and Head of the College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, said: “The University’s strong links with the Edinburgh International Festival go back to its inception, and we are delighted to collaborate once again to create this spectacular opening event. Our world-class researchers in digital media, design informatics and biological sciences will assist in shaping this epic artwork, and our archives will help tell the story of how the Festival has inspired a blossoming of creativity within the city and beyond. Academics will also work closely with 59 Productions to develop ambitious new ways for people to interact with the Standard Life Opening Event: Bloom, creating a lasting legacy for future generations.”

The Rt Hon Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh, Frank Ross, said: ‘In 1947, my predecessor Lord Provost Falconer championed the inception of the International Festival. Today, I am as determined as ever to see the event bring people together from all over Scotland and the world. The Standard Life Opening Event: Bloom will provide a beautiful and fitting celebration of our festivals and our city, and of course, the continued flowering of the human spirit. We are delighted to have supported our city’s festivals for 70 years.’

‘LIGHTING UP BIHAR: IMPROVING ELECTRICITY SUPPLY

JUNE 27, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

July

CPR Initiative on Climate, Energy and Environment is pleased to invite you to a talk on
‘Lighting Up Bihar: Improving Electricity Supply and Reducing Distribution Losses’

Wednesday, 5 July 2017, 4:00 – 5:30 p.m.

Dr Anant Sudarshan

Conference Hall, Centre for Policy Research

Image Source: Ashirbad Raha

Often the biggest bottlenecks to providing access to reliable, affordable electricity are not supply or technology constraints. Rather the problem lies with institutionally and economically inefficient electricity distribution. Almost half of power drawn from the grid is not paid for and is unmetered, unbilled or pilfered. In the state of Bihar, 42% of power consumed falls in this category. The Government of Bihar is trying to address this problem and expand access to electricity by implementing reforms to improve the Bihar State Electricity Board’s finances and the availability of power.

Dr Anant Sudarshan will discuss an ongoing pilot implemented in partnership with the North and South Bihar Distribution Company. The project is designed to test if an innovative group collective incentive can be used to increase payment rates, thus reducing distribution losses and enabling the utility to expand electricity supply. The pilot scheme links the amount of electricity supplied to groups of industrial and residential consumers to their overall performance in paying for the electricity they consume. As the proportion of electricity bills paid increases, the hours of electricity supplied to that community also increases. Ultimately where the community ends up on this schedule depends on how much they value a higher quality of electricity supply.

Speaker Bio: Dr. Anant Sudarshan is India Director of the Energy Policy Institute at Chicago University (EPIC-India). He is also a Senior Research Associate at the Department of Economics, University of Chicago. Prior to working at EPIC, Anant was the Giorgio Ruffolo Post-doctoral Fellow in the Sustainability Science Program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He received his PhD in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University and he holds undergraduate and Masters degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (Delhi) and Stanford University respectively. Anant works at the intersection of environmental economics and engineering, with on-going research on a variety of areas including environmental regulation, air-pollution, climate change, energy efficiency, electricity and renewable energy. His present work includes collaboration with India’s Ministry for Environment and Forests to design and evaluate a pilot emissions trading program to regulate industrial air pollution. He is also working with the Governments of Bihar, Rajasthan and Maharashtra on electricity distribution reforms designed to reduce losses and enhance the supply of power.

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RETURN THE NATIONAL MINORITY RIGHTS AWARD

JUNE 27, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

MEDIA INVITE

PRESS CONFERENCE

Dear Sir/ Madam,

I will be going to the National Commission for Minorities, Lok Nayak Bhawan, Khan Market, New Delhi-110013 today at 2.30pm to return the National Minority Rights Award, in protest against consistent attacks and killings of the members of the minority communities and total inaction, apathy and tacit support to the violent mobs by the government.

I will release a statement at a press conference at 3.30pm today 27 June, 2017 at IWPC, 5 Windsor Place, New Delhi-110001

Kindly depute a reporter to cover the press conference.

Yours sincerely

Shabnam Hashmi

9811807558

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RESCUE AND RECOVERY OF DROWNED NAVAL OFFICERS

JUNE 27, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

ON 24 JUN 17, INDIAN COAST GUARD STATION FRAZERGANJ RECEIVED INFORMATION FROM WIFE OF A RETIRED NAVAL OFFICER REGARDING DROWNING OF THREE PERSON INCLUDING HER HUSBAND AND DAUGHTER AT HENRY ISLAND BEACH AT 1605 HRS ON 24 JUN 17.

ON RECEIPT OF INFORMATION, ICGS FRAZERGANJ IMMEDIATELY COMMENCED SAR EFFORTS ALONGWITH LOCAL FISHERMEN AND MARINE POLICE, FRAZERGANJ. COAST GUARD AIR CUSHION VESSEL (ACV) H-182 WAS ALSO PRESSED INTO SEARCH OPERATION AND ALL THE THREE BODIES WERE RECOVERED BY 0800 HRS ON 25 JUN 17.

IN ANOTHER INCIDENT, COAST GUARD DISTRICT HEADQUARTERS NO.11, GOA RECEIVED A MESSAGE FROM INS VIKRAMADITYA AND BETUL COASTAL POLICE STATION REGARDING DROWNING OF ONE NAVAL OFFICER OFF CABO DE RAMA FORT AT 1450 HRS ON 26 JUN 17. COAST GUARD HELO WAS IMMEDIATELY LAUNCHED AND WAS SUCCESSFUL IN LOCATING AND RECOVERING THE OFFICER. HOWEVER, THE OFFICER WAS DECLARED DEAD BY THE NAVAL MEDICAL TEAM, GOA.

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PRESS CONFERENCE FILM’EK HASEENA THI EK DEEWANA THA’

JUNE 27, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

PRESS INVITATION

Shree Krishna International cordially invites you to attend the Press Conference & to share with you the uniqueness of their latest film

‘Ek Haseena Thi Ek Deewana Tha‘

To be addressed by:

Suneel Darshan (Director)
Shiv Darshan (“Karle Pyaar Karle” fame)
Natasha Fernandez

Time: 1:00 pm

Date: 28th June 2017 (Wednesday)

Venue: Le Meridien, Windsor Place, New Delhi

You are requested to send correspondents/ photographers/ camera crew for the Press Conference.

R.S.V.P

Shailesh Giri

9811222325(M)

9213022325

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कैलाश मानसरोवर यात्रा को लौटाने वाले चीन की वस्तुओं का करें बहिस्कार : विहिप

JUNE 27, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

नई दिल्ली। जून 27, 2017. कैलाश मानसरोवर यात्रा को चीन द्वारा रोके जाने पर विश्व हिन्दू परिषद ने तीखी प्रतिक्रिया दी है. उसका कहना है कि नाथू ला बोर्डर से जाने वाली कैलाश मानसरोवर यात्रा को चीन द्वारा रोके जाने से सभी स्तब्ध थे. अभी तक लगता था कि इसके पीछे शायद प्राकृतिक विपदा ही मुख्य कारण रही होगी. परन्तु चीनी अधिकारियों द्वारा किए गए पत्र व्यवहार तथा जारी बयानों से अब यह स्पष्ट हो गया है कि इस महत्वपूर्ण यात्रा के रोकने का एक मात्र कारण क्षेत्रीय विस्तार की अमिट भूख व दादागिरी ही है. विश्व हिन्दू परिषद के अंतर्राष्ट्रीय संयुक्त महामंत्री डा सुरेन्द्र जैन ने चीन की इस दादागिरी की कठोर शब्दों में भर्त्सना करते हुए जहां देश की जनता से चीनी वस्तुओं के बहिस्कार की अपील की है वहीँ भारत सरकार से जमीन के भूखे चीन के साथ इस मामले को गंभीरता से उठाने को भी कहा है. उन्होंने कहा कि तिब्बत पर अबैध कब्जा जमाने के बाद ड्रेगन की भूख और बढ़ गई. इसलिए, उसने न सिर्फ भारत के अरुणाचल प्रदेश समेत कई क्षेत्रों पर दावा कर रखा है बल्कि उन क्षेत्रों के विकास में टांग भी अड़ाता रहता है. वह इन क्षेत्रों को विकसित होते नहीं देखना चाहता. भूपेन हजारिका पुल बनाने के बाद तो वह बुरी तरह बौखला गया. सिक्कम में दो भारतीय बंकर तोड़ना इसी बौखलाहट का प्रतीक है.

विहिप के संयुक्त महामंत्री ने कहा कि कैलाश मानसरोवर की यात्रा पर रोक लगा कर तो उसने सभी सीमाएं लांघ दी हैं. उसने अब यह स्पष्ट कर दिया है कि सिक्कम के कुछ स्थानों पर उसका अधिकार स्वीकार किए बिना वह इस यात्रा को प्रारम्भ नहीं होने देगा. विश्व हिन्दू परिषद चीन की इस दादागिरी की कठोर शब्दों में भर्त्सना करती है. चीन के मना करने पर बापस आए यात्री किस यन्त्रणा से गुजरे होंगे, सम्भवतया क्रूर मानसिकता वाला ड्रेगन इसे समझने की सम्वेदनशीलता नहीं रखता. विहिप भारत सरकार से अपील करती है कि मानसरोवर यात्रा के विषय को और अधिक गंभीरता से ले तथा चीन को चेताए कि वह जमीन की असीम भूख को इस यात्रा में बाधा न बनने दे.

विहिप के राष्ट्रीय प्रवक्ता श्री विनोद बंसल द्वारा जारी बयान में डा जैन ने यह भी कहा है कि चीन की निगाहें भारत के क्षेत्रों के साथ साथ भारतीय अर्थ व्यवस्था पर भी है. इसलिए वह हमारे बाजार पर भी कब्जा कर रहा है. उन्होंने भारत की जनता से अपील की है कि बहुत हो चुका, अब वह चीनी वस्तुओं का बहिस्कार कर उसे उसी की भाषा में जबाव दे.

जारी कर्ता:

विनोद बंसल

(राष्ट्रीय प्रवक्ता)

विश्व हिन्दू परिषद

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CABINET CLEARS AIR INDIA DISINVESTMENT:

JUNE 28, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

The Union cabinet today cleared disinvestment of debt-laden Air India but the final modalities, including the quantum of stake sale, will be decided by a group of ministers.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the cabinet has given ‘in-principle’ approval for disinvestment of Air India.A group will be set up to finalise modalities/details of disinvestment of Air India, including the quantum of stake sale, he said.
The airline has a debt of more than 52,000 crore rupes and is surviving on a 30,000 crore rupees bailout package extended by the previous UPA government in 2012.

Surviving on taxpayers’ money, Air India has been in the red for long and various proposals, including government think tank Niti Aayog’s suggestion for complete privatisation, have been made.

The civil aviation ministry is charting out the disinvestment of the state-run carrier.

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EK HASEENA THI EK DEEWANA THA: AN INCOMPARABLE AND FRESH ROMANTIC THRILLER

JUNE 28, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

The film Ek Haseena Thi Ek Deewana Tha, directed and produced by Suneel Darshan features Shiv Darshan, Upen Patel and introduces the gorgeous Natasha Fernandez in lead roles. The music is composed by Nadeem Saifi. The principle actor Shiv Darshan on being asked about the film said, “The speciality of the film is that it is a wholesome entertainment package which has got passion, pain, suffering, drama, romance and the soulful music which plays like a USP and will make a place in your hearts.”

The beautiful Natasha Fernandez on being questioned on her debut said that, “It changed my life when I was discovered by my mentor Suneel sir. I feel fairy-tails exist and dreams do come true because this films came to me by fate and destiny and I was blessed enough to catch sir’s eye. It was a challenging role but my creator painted me best like a blank canvas.”

The media got quite stunned when everyone got to witness a Skype interaction, that too the first time ever. In it Nadeen Saifi himself interacted with media through Skype and added on to the information. On music improvisation Nadeem said, “We wanted to keep our Hindustani culture alive so we have blended Indian with western and build up the composition. I think the only need is a good launch, moreover, the new emerging trend of music in the market will not affect much as good music will always attract and survive.” On being asked about his return to India he said, “The charges that were put on me were wrong and I also won the case. I really want to return to India as it is in my heart. But they should call me back with respect, I am a pure Indian and I love India.”

The movie have a love triangle, but with many more layers to it and comes somewhere from the world of classic English movies. Suneel Darshan commented on the uniqueness of the movie and said, “No doubt this is a romantic film but it is timeless and cannot be compared to any era.” On censorship the director said, “The board has upgraded and watch today’s cinema as it is, they have been extremely supportive with our film and I didn’t feel any rigidity in their suggestions that they gave.”

‘Ek Haseena Thi Ek Deewana Tha’, presented by Shree Krishna International, is all set to release on June 30.

—

Shailesh Giri

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INDIA SECOND IN JUNIOR SHOOTING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

JUNE 28, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Indian shooting squad has finished a creditable second at the ISSF Junior World Championship with three gold, two silver and three bronze medals in Suhl, Germany.

India picked up a gold and silver in the team and individual sections of the 25m pistol junior men’s event. India also won team bronze in the 25m pistol junior women’s event to shore up their tally on the fourth and final day of competitions yesterday.

Anish Bhanwala won three medals, one of each colour.

On day one, Anish had claimed gold in the 25m standard pistol men’s event. Yesterday, he win another gold teaming with Anhad Jawanda and Shivam Shukla for the 25m pistol event.

China topped the tally in the rifle/pistol tournament with 19 medals, including eight gold.

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RBI AMENDS BANKING OMBUDSMAN SCHEME

JUNE 28, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

The central bank has extended the scope of Banking Ombudsman Scheme. The Reserve bank said that under the amended scheme, a customer would also be able to lodge a complaint against the bank for its non-adherence to RBI instructions with regard to mobile banking/ electronic banking services in India. As per the amendment, the pecuniary jurisdiction of the Banking Ombudsman to pass an award has been doubled to 20 lakh rupees.
AIR correspondent reports that the Reserve Bank yesterday extended the scope of Banking Ombudsman Scheme under which banks could be penalised for mis-selling third-party products like insurance and mutual funds via mobile or electronic banking. Banking Ombudsman is a quasi judicial authority functioning under the Banking Ombudsman Scheme, 2006. The authority was created to enable resolution of complaints of customers of banks relating to services rendered by the lenders.

The gross fiscal deficits of all the states skyrocketed to 4,93,360 crore Rupee in the last fiscal from the 18,790 crore rupee in the financial year 1991, according to the latest RBI data. Most populous state Uttar Pradesh and the largest Rajasthan lead the list of states with highest deficit.
According to the second edition of RBI’s statistical publication titled ‘Handbook of Statistics on States 2016-17’, released on Saturday, the gap is projected to improve in the current fiscal. It is estimated to be 4,49,520 crore rupee as per the budget estimates of the states for financial year 2017.
The publication follows the ‘one-indicator-one table’ approach and covers all sub-national statistics on socio- demographics, state domestic product, agriculture, industry, infrastructure, banking and fiscal indicators across the states over a period ranging from 1950-51 to 2016-17.
It also offers data on state-wise availability of power, per capita availability of power, installed capacity of power, and power requirement, length of national highways, roads and state highways, and railheads.

According to the data released by RBI, banks’ credit growth grew at 6.02 per cent to Rs 76,58,212 crore in the fortnight ended June 9 from Rs 72,22,939 crore in the same period of fiscal 2016.

The data showed that the growth in advances in the reporting period was slightly higher than the previous fortnight ended May 26, 2017. In the fortnight ended May 26, advances had grown by 5.08 per cent with an outstanding loans at Rs 75,93,546 crore.

In the fiscal ended March 31, 2017, credit growth had plunged to a multi-year low of 5.08 per cent with an outstanding loan at Rs 78.81 trillion as against Rs 75.01 trillion on April 1, 2016. In the reporting fortnight, bank deposits grew at 11.19 per cent to Rs 105,77,947 crore from Rs 95,13,148 crore in the fortnight ended June 10, 2016.

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MODI RETURNS DELHI AFTER THREE NATIONS VISIT

JUNE 28, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned home a short while ago from Amsterdam after a four day three nation visit to Portugal, United States and The Netherlands. During his visit, India signed eleven MoUs for cooperation with Portugal and three with the Netherlands.

In USA, Mr Modi and President Donald Trump comprehensively reviewed bilateral relations and laid down the future road map.

Our correspondent covering the visit of the Prime Minister reported that the Prime Minister’s visit focused primarily on four broad areas: one, furthering India’s strategic interests, two- projection of India as a country with fast track reforms coupled with high economic growth making it a strong opportunity for investment; third- seek collaborations in areas like skill development, knowledge based society and frontier areas of science and technology and four- reviving bonds with Indian Diaspora and seek their contribution for the development of India of their dreams.

The first ever Modi Trump meeting reaffirmed close Indo-US relations with President Trump reiterating himself a true friend of India. India not only received full support in its fight on terrorism from the three countries but the US went a step further by calling Pakistan to put an end to terror.

The visits saw increasing convergence of views between India and the three countries on major international issues.

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MIKE PENCE:US TO HELP INDIAN ARMED FORCES SA

JUNE 28, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

US Vice President Mike Pence has said that his country will help the Indian armed forces to obtain the resources and technology it needs to support security in South Asia.

He said the process to approve the sale was underway and expressed hope that it would accurately reflect commitment to mutual security among both nations.

In a key note address to members of the US India Council in Washington yesterday, Pence said, the US and India can deepen their ties in many industries and areas.

He urged India to enact the necessary economic reforms to ensure fair and reciprocal bilateral trade. He also said India and the US, are strong partners in fight against terrorism.

He said, the United States and India already collaborate to a significant extent. But in the face of terror networks that are ever-more sophisticated, ever-more dispersed. He said, both countries will continue to take renewed action to facilitate two-way information and intelligence sharing to confront this threat.

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NO WINNER IN MONGOLIA’S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

JUNE 28, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

There was no outright winner in Mongolia’s presidential election on Monday, forcing the country’s first ever second-round run-off between the two leading candidates, the country’s General Election Committee said on Tuesday. The populist former martial arts star Khaltmaa Battulga of the opposition Democratic Party won the most votes, but failed to secure the majority required, the committee said. He will face ruling Mongolian People’s Party (MPP) candidate Miyeegombo Enkhbold, who came second, in a run-off on July 9, the committee’s chairman Choinzon Tsodnomtseren confirmed at a briefing on Tuesday morning.

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TRUMP NOMINATE FBI DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHER WRAY

JUNE 28, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

President Donald Trump officially nominated Christopher Wray as the new head of the FBI on Monday. Trump first announced his intention to nominate Wray three weeks ago, describing him in a tweet as “a man of impeccable credentials.” Wray formerly served as assistant attorney-general in charge of the Criminal Division at the Justice Department under former President George W Bush. During his tenure, Wray oversaw several major corporate fraud investigations, including the federal prosecutions of executives involved in the Enron scandal. Wray’s nomination must now be confirmed by the Senate. If he is confirmed, Wray will take over for Andrew McCabe, who has been the bureau’s acting director since Trump fired James Comey on May 9. In a statement released by the Justice Department, Wray said he was “honored and humbled” to be nominated.

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NETHERLANDS BACKS INDIA’S BID FOR NSG ENTRY AND A PERMANENT UNSC SEAT

JUNE 28, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

The Netherlands has backed India’s early entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group, NSG, and other multilateral export control regimes.

In a joint communique issued after the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte in Hague the Netherlands also supported the country’s bid for a permanent UN Security Council seat.

Both leaders agreed that the NSG, Wassenaar Arrangement and Australia Group would benefit from India’s membership. Prime Minister Modi thanked the Netherlands for its role in India’s accession to the Missile Technology Control Regime in June 2016.

India and the Netherlands also strongly condemned the use of double standards in addressing the menace of terrorism, saying there can be no justification for acts of terror on any grounds.

They expressed concern about the serious and grave threat posed by the spread of terrorism and violent extremism to both the countries and the world. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to combat terrorism and prevent radicalisation that could lead to violent extremism.

Mr Modi also discussed the role of the Netherlands as ‘Gateway to Europe’ for India as 20 per cent of its exports to Europe enters through the Dutch country. Both leaders expressed hope for an early resumption of negotiations leading to the conclusion of the Broad-based Trade and Investment Agreement between India and the EU.

Prime Minister Modi invited the Netherlands to join the International Solar Alliance. Prime Minister Rutte appreciated the lead taken by India to galvanise global action on Climate Change through the its initiatives. Both leaders reaffirmed their countries’ commitment towards Paris climate deal.

Earlier yesterday, Prime Minister Modi described the Netherlands as India’s “natural partner” in its economic development and said the bilateral ties with the country’s major trading partner will grow rapidly.

India and Netherlands also signed three MOUs on water management, cultural cooperation and on amending social security arrangement. The MOUs were signed in the presence of both leaders.

Expressing that his Netherlands tour comes at a time when the two countries are celebrating 70 years of diplomatic relations, Mr Modi said the two countries have centuries old relations & are together progressing ahead steadily.

Stressing that today world is interdependent & interconnected, he said, India & Netherlands have convergence of views on the global issues.

Yesterday, Mr Modi also interacted with the CEOs of Dutch companies inviting them to utilize the vast opportunities provided by his ‘Make in India’ initiative.

Prime minister Narendra Modi has said that everything the country have must be world class as the India of the 21st century cannot stay behind when it comes to technology and infrastructure.

Addressing Indian diaspora at a stadium in South Holland’S capital the Hague, Prime minister stressed on larger community participation in development. Mr Modi said, India will have to be modernised at a greater speed.

Addressing the diaspora the Prime Minister announced that five years business visa will soon be granted to the dutch nationals.

Mr. Modi appealed all Indian origin people in Netherlands to apply for their Overseas Citizens of India, OCI, cards at earliest.

Mr Modi praised the Sarnami Indians for maintaining Indianness despite being outside India for around 150 years. He said, despite migrating as labourers to American country of Surinam & then to Netherlands, the Sarnami community has maintained Indian language, culture and traditions.

Emphasizing that relations of blood do not change with change in colour of passport, he said, Indian diaspora across world has feeling of an obligation towards India.

The prime minister Citing the contribution of India’s women across all fields, the prime minister said his government aims at the women-led development.

He said, his government’s thrust has been on jan bhagidari (people’s involvement) in governance as he believed that the country’s progress cannot be ensured only through the government’s work.

He mentioned about various initiatives taken by his government in the sectors like banking, energy and digitalisation and talked about progress being made in areas like space, healthcare and sanitation.

Later, The Prime Minister left for home after concluding his three-nation tour of Portugal, the United States and the Netherlands.

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NMML PUBLIC LECTURE_’GENDER DHARMA IN COUNTER

JUNE 28, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Reply Reply to All Forward

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MEGA CAMP TO FACILITATE DIVYANGJANS

JUNE 28, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

AHMEDABAD

PRESS ADVISORY

Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot will visit Rajkot. He will attend Mega Camp to facilitate Divyangjans with Prime Minister Shri Narednra Modi on 29th June, 2017 (Thursday) at Rajkot.

The Details are as under :

Date : 29st June, 2017 Thursday

Time : 4.20 P.M.

Venue : Race Course Ground,

Rajkot, Gujarat.

You are cordially invited to cover the event. Kindly make it convenient to send your reporter / correspondent / photographer / cameraperson for the same.

—

Press Information Bureau,

Government of India,

Ahmedabad.

—

Press Information Bureau

Government of India

Ahmedabad

www.pibregional.nic.in

079-25507041

Reply R

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THREE JOURNALISTS ARRESTED BY THE BURMESE ARMY

JUNE 28, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Dear friend

On 26th June, three journalists were arrested by the Burmese Army in Shan State. Lawi Weng, from The Irrawaddy, and Aye Naing and Pyae Bone Naing from Democratic Voice of Burma, have not been seen or heard from since then. Four other people were arrested with them.

Tell Min Aung Hlaing, head of the military, to free the journalists now!

The military don’t publish contact details, but Min Aung Hlaing’s staff are regularly updating his Facebook and Twitter accounts, and read messages sent to him on Facebook.

Facebook and Twitter are the quickest way we can get the message to him.

Send this campaign poster to Min Aung Hlaing.

If you have a Facebook or Twitter account, please send Min Aung Hlaing a Facebook message with our campaign picture, and Tweet it to him as well.

1. Send Min Aung Hlaing a message on his Facebook page here. (click the blue ‘Send Message’ button and attach the poster)

2. Tweet the poster to Min Aung Hlaing: @Min_Aung_Hlaing

Min Aung Hlaing doesn’t want the media to report on the human rights violations committed by his troops in ethnic states. Don’t let him get away with arresting journalists and covering up human rights abuses.

Thank you so much for your support.

Anna Roberts
Burma Campaign UK

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Our mailing address is:

Burma Campaign UK

28 Charles Square

London, N1 6HT

United Kingdom

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CULTURAL EVENTS JULY 2017

JUNE 28, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Ciné-Club – NOCTURAMA

Tuesday, 4th July 2017, 10am

ML Bhartia Auditorium, Alliance Française de Delhi

Initial release: 2016 | Director: Bertrand Bonello

Running time: 2h10min

French with English subtitles | Free Entry Open to All

Plot: Some young folks, tired of the society they’re living in, plan a bomb attack over Paris before to take shelter for a night in a shopping centre.

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HISTOIRES VRAIES

A contemporary dance show

Choreographed by Cécile Loyer

Thursday, 6th July 2017, 7pm

ML Bhartia Auditorium, Alliance Française de Delhi

Free Entry | Open to all

In this contemporary dance project, the French artist Cécile Loyer weaves together the stories and the histories of dance.

“Histoires Vraies” is, first and foremost, an enquiry into the origins of movement and how movements are passed on. Having been introduced to bharathanatyam, Cécile Loyer creates a mix contrasting two different traditions and their use of the body.

On the stage, 2 Indian dancers and 2 European dancers turn themselves into witnesses and narrators of their own stories. This bizarre, often funny, chaos of gestures narrates our ‘collective history’ and tries to capture the essence of what dance is and to see whether movements, gestures and signs can help us discover other versions of history – less tangible but more moving!

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Ciné-Club – JE FAIS LE MORT

Tuesday, 18th July 2017, 10am

ML Bhartia Auditorium, Alliance Française de Delhi

Initial release: 2013 | Director: Jean-Paul Salomé

Running time: 1h 44min

French with English subtitles | Free Entry Open to All

Plot: A has-been actor takes a job playing the victims in a homicide re-enactment, where he sparks with the civil officer investigating the real-life crime.

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Music: TRIO RANGANATHAN

Thursday, 20th July 2017, 6:30pm

ML Bhartia Auditorium, Alliance Française de Delhi

Free Entry | Open to all

Ranganathan Trio is a presentation by a family: three brothers, three talents. Ajay, 22, playing piano, and the twins Ravi and Théo, 19, playing cello and violin. All three-started learning music at a very early age at a Conservatory in the city of Tours. Afterwards, they have continued their studies with famous professors in various Conservatories in France.

The three virtuoso will share with you the classical pieces by famous European composers such as Piazzola, Strauss, Joplin, Brahms…

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Ciné-Club

CHRONIQUES D’UNE COUR DE RECRE

Tuesday, 25th July 2017, 10am

ML Bhartia Auditorium, Alliance Française de Delhi

Initial release: 2013 | Director: Brahim Fritah

Running time: 1h 25min

French-Iranian with english subtitles | Free Entry Open to All

Plot: Pierreffite-sur-Seine, 1980. Brahim, a 10-year-old, lives with his family in the construction factory of cranes. His father, of Moroccan origin, is the keeper of this factory. It is a period full of Novelties for the young boy. But at the plant, a relocation of the site is announced to the South of France. The factory closes and the family of Brahim must move elsewhere.

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Ciné-Club – HANNAH ARENDT

Thursday, 27th July 2017, 6:30pm

ML Bhartia Auditorium, Alliance Française de Delhi

Initial release: 2013 | Director: Margarethe von Trotta

Running time: 1h53min

French with English subtitles | Free Entry Open to All

Plot: Writer and philosopher Hannah Arendt (Barbara Sukowa) goes to Israel to cover Adolf Eichmann’s war-crimes trial for The New Yorker magazine.

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DR. KHANNA

A play by Tom Alter

Friday, 28th July 2017, 7pm

ML Bhartia Auditorium, Alliance Française de Delhi

Free Entry | Open to all

Tom Alter directs this philosophical drama drama about the perception of one’s own happiness through the story of an unhappy man and his upbeat. Enigmatic psychiatrist played by theatre personality DIVYA ARORA.

About: ‘Dr. Khanna’, play written and directed by Padmashri Tom Alter, staring Divya Arora as the protagonist as she was the only actor in the writer’s mind when he wrote the play. Divya is a much remembered and loved alumna of the Alliance française de Delhi and Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Delhi University.

Presently living and working in Mumbai, Divya revisits Delhi now, after becoming an actor, director, writer and a national awardee herself. Divya Arora interprets Dr. Khanna’s role in “DR. KHANNA” opposite Tom Alter, for a course of precise 45 minute doctor- patient appointment that starts, gradually through the puns of Galib’s famous shayaris. The formal barriers of a patient and his doctor melt into a camaraderie that the two begin to share.

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Cine club screenings are open to all. Free admission.

For more details on programs, please contact the cultural section

@ 43500 217 / 218 / 222 | Or E mail: culture@afdelhi.org

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE

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June 29, 2017, 3:49 am

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M6.0 - KERMADEC ISLANDS REGION

Preliminary Earthquake Report
Magnitude	6.0
Date-Time	29 Jun 2017 07:03:10 UTC 29 Jun 2017 19:03:10 near epicenter 29 Jun 2017 11:03:10 standard time in your timezone
Location	31.101S 179.951E
Depth	392 km
Distances	799 km (497 miles) NE (38 degrees) of Auckland, New Zealand 1223 km (760 miles) NNE (24 degrees) of WELLINGTON, New Zealand
Location Uncertainty	Horizontal: 7.1 km; Vertical 5.4 km

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June 29, 2017, 3:50 am

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nksagar@rediffmail.com nksagar_1@yahoo.com

Today at 9:32

Dear Mr Sagar,

Greetings from Pahle India Foundation and YES Global Institute, a practicing think tank at YES BANK.

We are pleased to announce the commencement of the Pahle India Foundation - YES Global Institute Monthly Seminar Series on SMEs to deliberate on key issues and challenges in the SME sector and contribute towards policy development for growth of the sector.

It gives us immense pleasure to invite you as a Special Guest to attend the first edition of the Series on ‘Driving Entrepreneurship through SMEs’ to be held on July 3, 2017 at Multipurpose Hall, IIC, New Delhi.

Key Panellists:

Shri Ramesh Abhishek, Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion
Ms. Jyotsna Sitling*, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development And Entrepreneurship
Mr. Ravindra Nath*, Chairman & Managing Director, National Small Industries Corporation Limited (NSIC)
Mr. Piyush Mittal, Promoter, Shiv Shakti Processed Foods Pvt Ltd
Shri Anil Bhardwaj, Secretary General, Federation of Indian Micro and Small and Medium Enterprises (FISME)

Agenda:

Pahle India Foundation - YES Global Institute Monthly Seminar Series on SMEs *‘Driving Entrepreneurship through SMEs’ July 3, 2017 IIC, New Delhi*
2:30 pm onwards	Registration
3:00 pm – 3:10 pm	Introductory Remarks: Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Founding Director, Pahle India Foundation Sumit Gupta, Group President &National Head Business and Rural Banking, YES BANK
3:10 pm – 4:30 pm	Panel Discussion (Moderated by Dr. Rajiv Kumar)
4:30 pm – 4:55 pm	Q&A
4:55 pm – 5:00 pm	Vote of thanks by Nirupama Soundararajan, Senior Fellow, Pahle India Foundation
5:00 pm onwards	Networking & Tea

For any further information, please get in touch with:

Anil Kumar, Pahle India Foundation

E-mail: anil.kumar@pahleindia.org Mob: +91 8826408889

We look forward to your confirmation and participation at the first seminar of this Series on July 3, 2017.

Thank you.

Best regards,

Rajiv Kumar

Director, Central Board of RBI

Founder Director

Pahle India Foundation

New Delhi

www.pahleindia.com

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June 29, 2017, 3:52 am

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Human trafficking report 2017: US continues to label India as Tier-II

According to the June 2017 edition of “Trafficking in persons” report released by the United States State Department, India continues to be placed in tier-2 of human trafficking, the department arguing that the country does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.
The State Department in its annual Congressional-mandated report on human trafficking claimed that though India does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but it has been making significant efforts to do so. The government demonstrated increasing efforts compared to the previous reporting period; therefore, India remained on tier-2.

India 's efforts were reflected in increasing the number of victims identified, investigations completed, and traffickers convicted, as well as its budget for shelter programmes for female and child trafficking victims. It also adopted an action plan for children, which included plans to prevent child trafficking and protect child victims. However, the government did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas.

The report ruled that overall victim identification and protection remained inadequate and inconsistent and the government sometimes penalised victims through arrests for crimes committed as a result of being subjected to human trafficking.

According to the report, demonetisation had an impact on sex trafficking last year. Some NGOs commented sex trafficking was temporarily reduced until other forms of payment were established. Some NGOs reported a resultant increase in other methods of payment including online payments.

Other NGOs stated workers in the informal economy, including brick kiln workers, were at times paid in void currency notes or were not paid at all due to cash shortages. Both the situations subsequently increased the workers' vulnerability to debt bondage and forced labour.

As per the report, India is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labour and sex trafficking. Forced labour constitutes India 's largest trafficking problem. Men, women, and children in debt bondage, sometimes inherited from previous generations are forced to work in brick kilns, rice mills, agriculture, and embroidery factories.

Most of India 's trafficking problem is internal, and those from the most disadvantaged social strata- lowest caste Dalits, members of tribal communities, religious minorities, and women and girls from excluded groups are most vulnerable.

Within India , some are subjected to forced labour in sectors such as construction, steel, and textile industries, wire manufacturing for underground cables, biscuit factories, pickling, floriculture, fish farms, and ship breaking, among others. Thousands of unregulated work placement agencies reportedly lure adults and children under false promises of employment into sex trafficking or forced labour, including domestic servitude, the report added.

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June 30, 2017, 6:01 am

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LAUNCH OF GUIDE FOR KENYAN DIASPORA ON REMITTANCES AND INVESTMENT

JUNE 30, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Kenya – Yesterday (29/06), the UN Migration Agency (IOM) launched Send Money & Invest in Kenya: A Guide for Diaspora Remittances & Investments, in partnership with the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The booklet targets the Kenyan diaspora and provides tips for sending money home through safe, affordable and convenient channels. It also gives guidance on how local savings, payments, donations and investments can be made while abroad.

During the launch, Jane Mwangi, Managing Director of Diaspora Interlink, pointed to research which shows that Kenyans abroad often identify information gaps about affordable transfer channels and investment opportunities as key challenges. Fears of being defrauded also factor high in their concerns.

The guide addresses many of these concerns by providing tips and information, which cover sending money, making payments and investing in Kenya. A key theme in the guide is the role that technology is playing in increasing convenience, supporting autonomy and cutting down costs.

Washington Oloo, Director of the Diaspora and Consular Affairs Directorate, stressed that diaspora remittances and other resources “are of immense importance to the Kenyan economy, with an estimated USD 1.6 billion remitted in 2015.” He highlighted that the Government of Kenya is committed to working with all stakeholders to empower Kenyans abroad to invest back home.

A wide variety of stakeholders attended the event, including diaspora organizations, the African Institute for Remittances (AIR), the GSMA Foundation, money transfer operators, commercial banks, research and policy outfits and Government of Kenya officials.

The guide was developed with the technical support of the ACP-EU Migration Action, an initiative launched by the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) Secretariat, funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by IOM.

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UN MIGRATION AGENCY WORKS WITH GOVERNMENTS IN EASTERN EUROPE

JUNE 30, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

UN Migration Agency Works with Governments in Eastern Europe on Ethical Recruitment, Preventing Exploitation

Washington, D.C. – The UN Migration Agency (IOM) joined InterAction’s 2017 Forum bringing leading professionals from international development and humanitarian to Washington, D.C., on 20–22 June. InterAction is the US’s largest consortium of Non-Governmental Organizations focused on disaster relief and sustainable development.

During the Forum, IOM’s Assistance to Vulnerable Migrants Unit hosted a breakout session to discuss trafficking in emergency settings.
Moderated by Rick Sandoval – a veteran immigration journalist and director of 100 Reporters Agency – the panel offered an exchange of ideas and an opportunity to compare best practices in responding to trafficking and exploitation during emergency crises.

Human trafficking and exploitation often are direct consequences of crises and not mere byproducts, explained Michela Macchiavello, IOM Specialist, Assistance to Vulnerable Migrants Unit, who cited an IOM study published in 2015. Macchiavello stressed that both human trafficking and exploitation can be “a matter of life and livelihood for victims. For this reason, they need to be given from the outset as much priority as any other crisis response.”

Following the recommendations of this study, IOM is now developing a Global Strategy to fight trafficking and exploitation in crisis. This will allow actors to address such crimes systematically and strengthen IOM’s capacity as well as the ability of first responders, from both the humanitarian and development communities, to respond to these violations in the future.

Too often, victims might not be visible at the beginning of the crisis. One reason for this: the destruction of traditional protection mechanisms that hold sway before a crisis. Therefore, it is vital to start addressing the issue even when victims are not yet visible.

“Victims will surface possibly a few weeks or months into the crisis but by then it may be too late to help them! Larger numbers of victims will have been affected by trafficking, some beyond recovery, and the crime will have expanded much more than if we had acted at the very outset of the crisis,” explained Macchiavello.

Authorities also have key roles to play in mitigating trafficking during crises. “We encourage governments to build the necessary foundations to combat trafficking and to raise awareness of human trafficking indicators among first responders before a crisis hits,” said Greg Hermsmeyer, Senior Coordinator for International Programs, US Department of State, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (J/TIP).
He added: “In the wake of a disaster, we recommend that governments immediately implement screening measures without waiting for evidence of trafficking, which takes too long.”
The Department of State’s TIP Office has funded numerous IOM projects on counter-trafficking and exploitation in areas affected by conflict and crisis, including in the Philippines post-Hurricane Haiyan, in the Balkans, and in several African countries.

The UN Migration Agency (IOM) has been protecting and assisting victims of trafficking since the mid-nineties. By the end of 2016, it had assisted close to 90,000 victims worldwide.

Despite efforts by the humanitarian and development communities to address trafficking in situations of crisis, more needs to be done.

“There is a protection gap in the current UN response system through which the needs of the victims of trafficking remain unaddressed. This is why activities addressing human trafficking and exploitation of migrants and refugees need to be included systematically in humanitarian responses to crises,” IOM’s Macchiavello concluded.

For further information, please contact Hajer Naili, IOM Washington. Tel: +1 202 568 3757, Email: hnaili@iom.int

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73RD SESSION OF THE ESCAP COMMISSION SESSION SOUTH ASIAN COUNTRIES

JUNE 30, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

73rd session of the ESCAP Commission Session
South Asian countries underscore centrality of regional cooperation for sustainable energy and the achievement of the SDGs

Seven countries from South and South-West Asia participated in the 73rd session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific held in Bangkok from 15 to 19 May 2017. The yearly Commission provides a platform for member States to discuss policy issues and key challenges towards achieving inclusive and sustainable economic and social development in Asia and the Pacific. The session was held under the theme ‘Regional cooperation for sustainable energy’ and placed particular emphasis on how greater economic cooperation and integration can help achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).Below are salient points from South Asian member States’ country statements delivered at the above Commission session (Ministerial segment). Highlights pertain in particular to the implementation of the SDGs, sustainable energy and the importance of regional cooperation to address common challenges and scale up progress. Full text of the statements can also be accessed from the below links.

Afghanistan

Incorporated the SDGs and targets into its National Peace and Development Strategy, and identified and integrated priority areas in the strategies of eight economic and social sectors.
Oversees development in all SDGs through the Ministerial Council. Prepares the National SDG document, coordinates among sectors, and reports annually to Council and the cabinet through the Ministry of Economy.
Aspires to serve as an energy transit corridor between Central Asia and South Asia.
Aspires to serve as cross road between South and Central Asia, particularly in light of recent developments such as the belt and road initiative, the Central Asia-South Asia power project (CASA-1000), Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India (TAPI) gas pipeline project, five nations railway, digital silk road, etc.
Regional Economic Integration is one of the five pillars of Afghanistan National Peace and Development Framework.
Aims to open ways for more dialogues and expend regional cooperation.

Bangladesh

Declared ‘Vision 2021’ for transforming the country into a middle-income country by 2021.
Formed ‘SASEC’, together with India, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka, for initiating cross border electricity trade and utilizing hydro power potential of the subregion.
Needs a huge amount of investment and a smooth and steady flow of development assistance from valued development partners for achieving the targets of the 2030 Agenda.
Prepared climate change strategy and action plan which also need huge investments and an easy and adequate access to climate funds.
Earns remittance as one of the largest receiving countries in the world. Yet stringent measures undertaken by host countries might create a setback in the country’s remittance earning capacity.

Bhutan

Welcomes the Regional Road Map for Implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific.
Captured the 17 SDGs (with the exception of Goal 14) in the country’s 11th Five-Year Plan, which is due for completion is June 2018. Currently finalizing the 12th Five Year Plan (2018-2023), based on nine domains of Gross National Happiness that also integrate 16 of the 17 SDGs.
Emphasizes a significant concern about the economic vulnerabilities on the graduation track of least developed countries (LDCs), including Bhutan, such as narrow economic base, over reliance on a single sector for revenue, threat of natural disasters, and impacts of climate change etc.
Considers that promoting knowledge exchange, best practices, and sharing experiences between graduated and graduating countries could be of particular value.
Fully committed to an energy transition towards clean and sustainable energy as a response to climate change.
Regional trade and cross border trade in energy requires building of trust through political commitment, investment in infrastructure, the removal of institutional barriers and the normalization and harmonization of standards and regulations.

India

Finalizes 15-year Vision Document and 7-year strategy for post five-year plan that ends in 2017. The documents have at their core, the integration of the SDGs into the national context.
Plans a mapping of the SDGs to specific national programmes, priorities and targets, and embodies the spirit of the SDGs to India’s development transformation, tailoring them to India’s development needs.
Aims to double farmers’ incomes by 2022 through investment in agricultural productivity and extension to promote higher value commodities and sustainable increases in yield and crop intensity.
Implements “Skill India” mission and “Make in India” programmes for increasing vocational skills and productive employment.
Improves and expands the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act that provides 100 days of essential employment to those living in poverty.
Commits to national electrification of villages and cities by the end of 2018.
Raises awareness and capacity for sub-national SDG integration, into state and local government plans, programmes, targets and expenditures. The support of the UN Country Team in India, including ESCAP is recognized.
Supports initiatives related to regional economic cooperation and integration towards a South Asia Power Grid and South Asia Market for Electricity Trade in Energy Sources-Oil and Gas.
Committed to active cooperation to develop the two Southern-Central Asia trunk corridors identified by ESCAP as integral parts of the Asian Highway and Trans-Asian Railway networks.

Nepal

Addresses the possibility of a subregional cooperation among LDCs for fostering localized innovation.
Includes the use of renewable energy in the strategies of the ongoing 14th Periodic Plan.
Recognizes the potential of clean hydropower for satisfying the energy demand in Nepal. Envisions an increase in hydropower production capacity to 2300 MW within the next three years, an amount sufficient enough to export to South Asian countries within the next decade.
Emphasizes that the adoption of a regionally coordinated market mechanism by the public and private sectors for accelerating green growth could address the challenges relating to technology transfer, finance and the capacity building needs.

Pakistan

Aspires to establish a universal, affordable, efficient and sustainable energy architecture at the national and regional levels through its comprehensive policies on energy security in terms of National Development Strategy: Vision 2025.
Aims to establish Pakistan Climate Change Council to prepare and supervise implementation of adaptation and mitigation projects.
Launched a Green Pakistan Programme to increase natural resources through afforestation.
Develops new regional energy projects such as CASA-1000 and TAPI.
Implements a Renewable Energy Resource Mapping activity across the country through Alternative Energy Development Board of Pakistan.
Establishes connectivity in the region such as China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, one of the pilot projects of the belt and road initiative.
Considers that achieving the SDGs along with regional integration, reinforced by UNESCAP’s guidelines and several regional and subregional initiatives of connectivity in Transport, Energy, Climate Change, ICT, Trade and Economics and other sectors is the best option to leave no one behind.

Sri Lanka

Achieved the lower-middle income status, and seeks upward movement by using many socio-economic reforms, including enhanced fiscal management policies.
Considers that ensuring energy sufficiency and access is also a vital component in drive towards economic prosperity.
Achieved providing almost 100% of households with access to affordable and reliable electricity at all times.
Implements a mixed renewable energy generation system, comprising, hydropower, solar, wind, biomass and agriculture based energy, which amounted to 49% of all national electricity needs in 2015.
Aims to launch a development program in the coming years to implement effective measures to ensure sustainable energy to meet the country’s future demand.
Emphasizes the importance of sharing experiences and supporting Research and Development among member States in addressing technological and other related issues in harnessing renewable energy and sustainable energy resources.

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DMA REJECTS THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE 7TH PAY COMMISSION

JUNE 30, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

When the recommendations of 7th pay commission came out, the government medical practitioners were shocked after the government reduced the Non-Practicing Allowance (NON-PRACTICING ALLOWANCE), an allowance given exclusively to doctors, from 25% to 20%. Moreover, the 7thPay commission had delinked the NON-PRACTICING ALLOWANCE from the basic pay for further calculations such as HRA. Doctors had objected to the same, and demanded that NON-PRACTICING ALLOWANCE to be at least maintained at the status quo (as per the recommendations of the 6th Pay commission).

As you all know, the The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi recently approved the recommendations of the 7th CPC on allowances with some modifications. However, the medical profession has been completely sidelined as the government has ignored all its demands.

Dr. Vijay Kr. Malhotra President , DMA Delhi Medical Association and the whole medical profession strongly feels deceived by this act whereby medical community is the only section where the pay by the 7th cpc has been decreased. The promised increase in NON-PRACTICING ALLOWANCE 25% to 40% and consideration of NON-PRACTICING ALLOWANCE as part of Basic pay for calculation of HRA has not been considered and NON-PRACTICING ALLOWANCE has been removed from basic pay for the propose of calculation of HRA.

Dr. Vijay Malhotra President DMA said “NON-PRACTICING ALLOWANCE is a basic right of a government doctor. Even the courts, in their decisions have stated that it is not a special allowance but a part of the basic pay. Government cannot delink from the basic pay. We clearly reject the recommendations of the 7th pay commission.”

Dr. Satish Tyagi, Hony. State Secretary, DMA said “Delhi medical association & whole Delhi service doctors fraternity opposes recommendations of 7th pay commission to be applicable from 01/07/2017 (what a gift by govt. on doctors’ day to doctors ) !! Reducing instead of increasing Non-Practicing Allowance from 25% to 20% and delinking Non-Practicing Allowance from basic salary is a severe jolt to in service medical fraternity!! Delhi medical association stands with them & plans strong reaction & action soon”

For the same a general body meeting of the association has been called on Saturday the 08/07/2017 to decide our future plan of action against this act of betrayal by the Govt of India.

Dr. Vijay Kr. Malhotra Dr. Satish Tyagi

President, DMA Hony. State Secretary

9650685468 9811172377

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GERMAN PARLIAMENT TOUGH LAW FOR SOCIAL MEDIA

JUNE 30, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

German parliament on Friday approved a plan to fine great example of such up to 50 million euros ($57. 04 million) if they fail to eliminate hateful postings quickly, despite problems the law could limit free manifestation.

Is this German law empowers the government with such massive fine for the social networks to be fearful while writing on the net. Is this is an exercise to take speedy by the government to take action against rumour mongers.

The German parliament on Friday approved a plan to fine social networks up to €50 million if they fail to remove hateful postings quickly, despite concerns the law could limit free expression.

The measure requires social media platforms to remove obviously illegal hate speech and other postings within 24 hours after receiving a notification or complaint, and to block other offensive content within seven days.

Germany has some of the world’s toughest laws covering defamation, public incitement to commit crimes and threats of violence.

But few online cases are prosecuted.

Germany’s Merkel voted against gay marriage

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday she voted against legalizing gay marriage given her personal view that marriage should be between a man and a woman, but she hoped parliament’s approval of the measure would lead to more social cohesion.“For me, marriage in the basic law is marriage between a man and a woman and that is why I did not vote in favor of this bill today,” she said moments after the 393-266 vote in favor of an amendment that will legalize same-sex marriage. “I hope that the vote today not only promotes respect between different opinions but also brings more social cohesion and peace, she added

Media agencies

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FRENCH EMBASSY INDIA, SST,SUPPORT SUSHIL REDDY FOR “SUN TRIP TOUR 2017” IN FRANCE

JUNE 30, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

New Delhi, 28 June 2017

French embassy and Institutes of French are making dedicated efforts for students across India with scholarship, sponsorship,training,participation for Indian students to study and participate in their national sports events. One such events are enumerated here for the benefits of the Indian students to prepare and compete globally.
The Section for Science and Technology (SST) of Institut français India, French Embassy in India, is pleased to announce its support for IIT engineer Sushil Reddy, selected to participate as a Special Guest in the solar bicycle rally, “Sun Trip Tour 2017”. Organised by the French ‘Sun Trip Company’, the solar bike rally will take place from 8 to 21 July, 2017. It will pass through some of France’s most beautiful landscapes in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, and cross two neighboring countries, Switzerland and Italy.
Mumbai IITian Sushil Reddy is the Guinness World Record holder for the longest journey on a motorised bicycle. Using a solar-powered motorised bicycle to raise awareness about solar energy, he made a trip around India between 8 May and 25 July 2016, which started and ended in Mumbai, covering a distance of 7,423.88 km
From a young age, Sushil Reddy has displayed deep commitment to promoting low-cost, clean, sustainable energy, both in his academic and personal life. He has contributed greatly towards this by using science, technology, education and tourism.
A month prior to joining the Sun Trip Tour, Sushil embarked on his own Tour de France with his solar bicycle from 1st June to 2nd July 2017, again in a bid to promote the use of solar energy. Starting from Istres, his journey has led him to Toulouse, Bordeaux, La-Roche-sur-Yon, Rennes, Le Mans, Paris, and will finally take him to Lyon. In each city, he is holding seminars and meeting students in universities like Ecole Centrale, Instituts Polytechniques and HEC Paris, with fruitful discussions on the challenges of using solar energy.
Indo-French collaboration
Renewable energy – and solar energy, in particular – is one of the key areas of the Indo-French partnership, involving academics, industry captains and other stakeholders from both the countries, who are collaborating in this fast-growing and promising sector.

The Embassy of France in India, and its Science and Technology Sector (SST) under Institut français India (IFI), aim to ceaselessly develop cutting-edge cooperation in science, technology and innovation for the actors from France and India who share common interests and are interested in collaborating together.

The Section for Science and Technology of Institut français India, Embassy of France in India
supports Sunil Reddy as Special Guest
at France’s solar bicycle rally, Sun Trip Tour 2017
France-Switzerland-Italy, 8-21 July 2017

As a unique opportunity, stakeholders from India and France may benefit from CEFIPRA (www.cefipra.org), which provides financial incentives for organising joint seminars and workshops, and conducting collaborative research projects, including in public-private modes.

The SST provides regular information about the opportunities offered by the two countries for cooperation in science and technology through its website: www.frenchscienceindia.org

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INDIA BEAT WEST INDIES

JUNE 30, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

India, stunned hosts England with a 35-run victory, also made it two wins from two as they overpowered the West Indies by seven wickets at Taunton on Thursday.

Opener Smriti Mandhana got to three figures with an unbeaten 106 following her 90 against England.

She added 108 runs for the third wicket with captain Mithali Raj (46) after India were in trouble at 33 for two chasing a modest 184.

“Smriti played well for her hundred, it was a crucial innings she played,” said Raj.

India´s spinners made life so tough for the West Indies that even the usually dynamic Deandra Dottin — holder of the fastest century in women´s T20Is — could manage a mere seven off 48 balls.

The West Indies slumped to 91 for six before some late-order hitting boosted the total.

“We didn´t get the batting right in the middle,” admitted West Indies captain Stafanie (attn eds: correct) Taylor. “We have the batters to do it but I think it´s up to the batters to take more responsibility in their actions.”

All the eight teams involved play each other once, with the top four contesting the semi-finals.

The final takes place at Lord´s on July 23.

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July 1, 2017, 3:40 am

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1.5LAKH PEOPLE AFFECTED RIVERS SURGE IN ASSAM

JULY 1, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Assam, 1.5 Lakh people have been affected in current surge of water in five districts. Official sources informed that Karimganj district in Barak valley is the worst affected as 1 lakh 34 thousand people are reeling under the fury of flood in this district alone.

Several rivers are flowing above the danger level in Brahmaputra and Barak valley. 266 relief camps and distribution centres have been set up at Karimganj and Cachar districts. Over 5 thousand flood hit people are taking shelter at relief camps. Surging water also damaged huge crop areas in the state.

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EC LAUNCHES SPECIAL DRIVE TO ENROLL LEFT OUT VOTERS

JULY 1, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Election Commission (EC) has launched nation wide month long special drive from today for maximization of registration of eligible electors with focus on left out eligible young citizens in age group of 18-19. During the drive, the EC will remove names of registered dead electors, if any, from electoral rolls.

During the month of June , the election officials have completed preparatory work like identification of critical gaps in existing electoral rolls, strengthening of infrastructure and sensitization of ground level electoral machine. The EC has also sent communication to all recognised political parties seeking their cooperation for success of the Special Drive.

During the Special enrollment Drive, which will be completed by 31st July, special attention would be given receiving Form 6 for enrolment of new electors and Removal of names of registered dead electors, if found any.

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GROWTH OF EIGHT CORE SECTORS SLOWED TO 3.6 % IN MAY

JULY 1, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

The growth of eight core sectors slowed to 3.6 per cent in May this year due to fall in output of coal and fertilisers.The growth rate of eight infrastructure sectors including coal, crude oil, fertiliser, steel, cement and electricity was 5.2 per cent in May last year.

According to data released by Ministry of Commerce and Industry,coal and fertiliser productions recorded negative growth of 3.3 per cent and 6.5 per cent respectively. Steel sector growth dipped to 3.7 per cent last month as against 13.4 per cent in May 2016.

Slow growth in key sectors would also have implications on the Index of Industrial Production number as these segments account for about 41 per cent to the total factory output. In April this year, these eight sectors had recorded a growth rate of 2.8 per cent.

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RAHUL GANDHI : GST LAUNCH IS TAMASHA

JULY 1, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi has dubbed the implementation of GST as a “tamasha”, saying the reform was being rushed through in a “half-baked” manner. Currently abroad on a holiday, Mr. Gandhi, hit out at the government through twitter. He accused the government of being “insensitive” for rolling out GST without planning, foresight and institutional readiness, as it did during demonetisation.

Meanwhile, the opposition stood a divided house as NCP, JD(U), BSP, BJD, Samajwadi Party and Janata Dal(S) participated in the midnight launch of the GST, while the Congress, RJD, Trinamool Congress, Left, the DMK, National Conference boycotted the launch event.

Ruptures in the opposition unity emerged barely a week after 17 parties joined hands to put up a joint candidate against the ruling NDA nominee for the July 17 Presidential election.

The NCP, a key constituent of the Congress-led UPA, broke away from the Opposition ranks, with its chief Sharad Pawar along with Praful Patel and Tariq Anwar attending the event in the Central Hall of Parliament. Mr. Anwar said his party was attending the GST launch as it had supported the legislation on ushering in the new indirect tax regime in the country.
On behalf of JD(U), its Bihar unit chief and Rajya Sabha member Vashisht Narain Singh attended the event.

The BSP, which stood with opposition unity, was represented by two of their MPs. The Samajwadi Party, which had initially announced the boycott, did a somersault by attending the event, saying it found no problem when the party had supported the GST bill in Parliament.

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GST AFTER MID-NIGHT LAUNCH

JULY 1, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

India’s biggest tax reform since independence ‘Goods and Service Tax’ (GST) comes into force after the mid-night launch last night. GST, which brings the entire country under single taxation system, was launched by President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi by pressing a button at a special function in central Hall of Parliament.

Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the GST was the result of combined efforts of all political parties and it does not belong to any one party or one government. He said it is a great example of cooperative federalism which shall facilitate inclusive growth of the country. Mr.Modi said all states are slated to gain immensly as they will now get equal opportunities of development. The Prime Minister said GST is the first of its kind system in the country when both centre and states will be putting consolidated efforts in the same direction.

In his address, President Pranab Mukherjee said GST council, centre and states should continuously improve and refine the GST in the same spirit that we have seen till now. He said the GST Council should continuously review the implementation and suggest suitable improvements to the new indirect taxation regime.

Speaking on the occasion, Finance Minister Arun Jaitely said the GST will lower prices, make tax avoidance difficult, boost GDP and bolster government resources allowing greater spending on the welfare of the people. He said there will also be a check on inflation.

GST roll-out – Complete transformation of the Indirect Taxation Landscape

The Goods and Services Tax came into force at midnight, amid a historic midnight session in the Central Hall of Parliament yesterday. Hon’ble President Shri Pranab Mukherjee, Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, and Hon’ble Shri Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley addressed the gathering, before the Hon’ble President and the Hon’ble Prime Minister pressed a button to mark the launch of GST.

The Hon’ble President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee graced a special function organized to launch the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in the midnight of June 30- July1, 2017 in the Central Hall of Parliament House, New Delhi.

“Speaking on the occasion, the Hon’ble President said that the introduction of GST is a momentous event for the nation. It was also a moment of some satisfaction for him because, as the Finance Minister, he had introduced the Constitution Amendment Bill on 22nd March 2011. He was closely involved in the design and implementation and had the occasion to meet the Empowered Committee of state finance ministers, formally and informally, as many as 16 times. He had also met the Chief Ministers of Gujarat, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra a number of times. He had a vivid recollection of those meetings and the various matters that were raised. Given the magnitude of the task, which spans constitutional, legal, economic and administrative spheres, it was not a surprise that there were many contentious issues. Yet, he found both in those meetings and in his many interactions with Chief Ministers, Finance Ministers and officers of States, that most of them had a constructive approach and an underlying commitment to the introduction of GST. He, therefore, remained confident that GST was a matter of time and it would eventually be implemented. His confidence stood justified when, on 8th September 2016, after the Bill was passed by both Houses of Parliament and more than 50 percent of State Legislatures, he had the privilege of giving assent to the Constitution (One Hundred and First Amendment) Act.”

Speaking on the occasion, the Hon’ble Prime Minister said that the day marks a decisive turning point, in determining the future course of the country.

The Goods and Services Tax came into force at midnight, amid a historic midnight session in the Central Hall of Parliament. Hon’ble President Shri Pranab Mukherjee, Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, and Hon’ble Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley addressed the gathering, before the President and the Prime Minister pressed a button to mark the launch of GST. Speaking on the occasion, the hon’ble Prime Minister said that the day marks a decisive turning point, in determining the future course of the country.

He recalled that the Central Hall had been witness to several historic occasions in the past as well, including the first session of the Constituent Assembly, India’s independence, and the adoption of the Constitution. He described GST is an example of Cooperative Federalism. He quoted Chanakya to say that hard work can overcome all obstacles and help us accomplish even the most difficult of objectives. He said that just as Sardar Patel had ensured political integration of the country, GST would ensure economic integration. Recalling the famous scientist Albert Einstein who said that income tax is the most difficult thing to understand in the world, he said that GST would ensure one nation, one tax. He said that GST would lead to immense savings of time and cost. Savings of fuel due to elimination of delays at State border crossings will help the environment as well, he added. The Prime Minister said GST would lead to a modern tax administration which is simpler, more transparent, and helps curb corruption.

Government levy of 10% Basic Customs Duty (BCD) on cellular mobile phone, specified parts and certain electronic goods
The Government had constituted Inter Ministerial Committee [IMC] comprising of officers from Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the Department of Commerce (DoC), Department of Telecommunication (DoT) and Department of Revenue (DoR) to identify electronic / IT / telecom products, which are not Information Technology Agreement [ITA] – I bound, for customs duty enhancement on them.

With effect from 01.07.2017, the Government has imposed 10% basic customs duty (BCD) on:

1) Cellular mobile phones and specified parts of cellular mobile phones like charger, battery, wire headset, Microphone and Receiver, Key Pad, USB Cable etc.

2) Certain other specified electronic goods (Detailed List enclosed)

The present exemption from basic customs duty on specified parts of mobiles, namely, Printed Circuit Board Assembly (PCBA), Camera Module, Connectors Display Assembly, Touch Panel / Cover Glass Assembly, Vibrator Motor / Ringer will continue. Further, inputs and raw material for manufacture of parts of above specified electronics goods including mobile phones will also continue to be exempt from BCD.

Government reduces tax rate on fertilizers from existing 12% to 5 % under GST for the interests of the farmers

Under GST regime, a uniform MRP of Rs. 295.47 per 50 kg bag to be fixed across the country. The GST regime to deter inter-state smuggling of fertilizers by integrating the entire fertilizer market into a single market farmers to benefit to the tune of Rs. 1261 crores under GST regime

The Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Ananthkumar briefed on the outcome of the 18th meeting of the GST Council, held on 30th June 2017, regarding Fertilizer sector. The Minister said that it was decided to reduce the GST rate of fertilizers from the existing 12% to 5%. This decision was primarily taken in the interests of the farmers. The Government has also taken up with the Industry to pass on the benefit to the Farmers, the Minister informed.

GST Journey

Importance of GST

The biggest tax reform since independence – GST – will pave the way for realization of the goal of One Nation – One Tax – One Market. GST will benefit all the stakeholders namely industry, government and consumer. It will lower the cost of goods and services, give a boost to the economy and make the products and services globally competitive, giving a major boost to ‘Make in India’ initiative. Under the GST regime, exports will be zero-rated in entirety unlike the present system where refund of some of the taxes does not take place due to fragmented nature of indirect taxes between the Centre and the States. GST will make India a common market with common tax rates & procedures and remove economic barriers. GST is largely technology driven and will reduce the human interface to a great extent. GST is expected to improve ease of doing business in India.

In majority of supplies of goods, the tax incidence approved by the GST Council is much lower than the present combined indirect tax rates levied [on account of central excise duty rates / embedded central excise duty rates / service tax post-clearance embedding, VAT rates or weighted average VAT rates, cascading of VAT over excise duty and tax incidence on account of CST, Octroi, Entry Tax, etc.] by the Centre and State(s).

Journey of GST after the Constitutional Amendment Act, 2016

After the assent of the Hon’ble President on 8th September, 2016, the 101th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2016 came into existence. The GST Council was constituted on 15.9.2016.

Since its formation in September, 2016 the GST Council has held 18 meetings. The Finance Ministers of all the States or their representative along with State and Central Government officials have participated in these extensive meetings and formulated the law and procedure to implement this historic tax reform. It was a mammoth task involving 27000+ man hours of intensive work. More than 200 meetings of the officers of the Centre and States took place in different parts of the country to expedite the implementation of GST.

While framing GST Acts and Rules, enhanced ‘Ease of doing business’ for the taxpayers was a key consideration and accordingly the roles and responsibilities of the States and Central govt have been defined. In a short span of time, the GST council has cleared GST laws, GST Rules, Tax rate structure including Compensation Cess, Classification of goods and services into different rate slabs, exemptions, thresholds, structure for tax administration, etc. All the decisions of Council were taken with consensus. While formulating the Acts and Rules, extensive participatory consultations with trade and industry including other significant stakeholders were undertaken. Feedback was also obtained by posting draft Acts and Rules on the websites and inviting comments from the public.

On 29th March, 2017, the Hon’ble Finance Minister of India tabled four Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bills for consideration and passage in the Lok Sabha namely The Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) Bill, 2017, The Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST) Bill, 2017, The Union Territories Goods and Services Tax (UTGST) Bill, 2017 and the GST (Compensation to States) Bill, 2017. They were passed by the Lok Sabha on 29th March, 2017 and by the Rajya Sabha on 6th April, 2017.

The GST Council has decided the final structure of GST as follows:

The threshold limit for exemption from levy of GST is Rs. 20 lakh for the States except for the Special Category, where it is Rs 10 Lakh.

A four slab tax rate structure of 5%, 12%, 18% and 28% has been adopted for GST. A cess would be levied on certain goods such as luxury cars, aerated drinks, pan masala and tobacco products, over and above the GST rate of 28% for payment of compensation to the states.

The threshold for availing the Composition scheme is Rs. 75 lakh except for special category States where it is Rs. 50 lakh and they are required to file quarterly returns only. Certain categories of manufacturers, service providers (except restaurants) are out of the Composition Scheme.

Features of GST

GST envisages all transactions and processes to be done only through electronic mode, to achieve non-intrusive administration. This will minimise tax payers physical interaction with the tax officials.

GST provides for the facility of auto-populated monthly returns and annual return.

It also facilitates the taxpayers by prescribing grant of refund within 60 days, and provisional release of 90% refund to exporters within 7 days. Further facilitation measures include interest payment if refund is not sanctioned in time, and refund to be directly credited to bank accounts.

Comprehensive transitional provisions for ensuring smooth transition of existing taxpayers to GST regime, credit for available stocks, etc.

Other provisions include system of GST Compliance Rating, etc.

Anti-profiteering provisions for protection of consumer rights.

Role of GST Network (GSTN)

GSTN has been created as a section 25 private limited company with Strategic Control with the Government, to function as a common Pass-through portal for taxpayers. On this common portal, taxpayers will submit their registration applications, file returns, make tax payments, claim refunds etc. GSTN has been provided with a robust IT platform and it will provide interface to 80 lakh taxpayers and thousands of tax officials. All filings under GST will be done electronically. While GSTN remains a front-end, at the back end, the IT systems of CBEC and different states interface with the GSTN IT network to provide a seamless end to end processing of tax returns for the taxpayers. 64,000 officials have been trained on the GST portal from February till June 2017. The GSTN IT systems have undergone load tests, performance tests, vulnerability tests, security and all other mandatory tests.

Enrolment of existing taxpayers of the State tax administrations and the Central Board of Excise and Customs to the GST system commenced on 8thNovember, 2016. More than 66 lakh taxpayers have activated their account at the GST portal.

GST Application on Payment has been operationalized. 25 banks have been integrated with the GST Common portal and will be providing e-payment and Over the counter payment facilities as well as payment through NeFT/RTGS and credit/debit card.

GST OUTREACH PROGRAMME

The Government has stepped up its outreach programme through various events, workshops, media, television to reach masses. Field formations of CBEC, at all levels have been activated to carry out interaction with the trade and industry to help them with the migration to GST and to clear their doubts. The field units of CBEC have run campaigns using mobile vans to reach the assessees at their door-step to help them with the GST migration and transitional issues. A total of 4700 workshops have been conducted across India.

An extensive multi-media campaign through print and electronic media, outdoor hoardings, etc. has been carried out for informing, educating and assisting taxpayers and other stake-holders to enable a smooth transition to GST.

RE-ORGANISATION OF CBEC

Implementation of GST has necessitated reorganisation of the Central Board of Excise & Customs (CBEC) formations for administration of GST. The reorganisation involved bringing about structural changes and redeployment of human resources. Redeployment has been done to ensure outreach to the remotest corner. The Directorates which have significant role under the GST have been adequately expanded and strengthened.

The field formations have been restructured as 21 CGST & CX Zones, 107 CGST & CX Commissionerates, 12 Sub-Commissionerates, 768 CGST & CX Divisions, 3969 CGST & CX Ranges, 48 Audit Commissionerates and 49 Appeal Commissionerates.

TRAINING

For a smooth roll out of GST, it was imperative to carry out adequate capacity-building exercise and awareness. National Academy of Customs Indirect Taxes and Narcotics (NACIN) have conducted extensive training programs. In the first phase, nearly 52,000 officers were trained during September, 2016 to January, 2017 through a multi-layered training programme across India. A Refresher Training was also conducted on updated Law, Rules and Procedures and a total of 17,213 officials were trained till 23rd June, 2017. Under the Accredited GST Training Programme, 20 institutes have been certified as ‘Approved Training Partners’ to impart ‘quality training at reasonable cost’ to members of trade/industry and other stakeholders. 2,565 participants have been trained so far (ongoing). NACIN have also trained 2,611 officers from 92 Ministries/PSUs trained so far.

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34TH YOUTH NATIONAL BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP TIPS OFF IN HYDERABAD

JULY 1, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Delhi_centre_Aryan__guards_the_paint_against_Haryana_during_their_overtime_loss

The 34th Youth National Basketball Championship for Boys and Girls tipped off this morning at the Indoor Stadium, Gachibowli in Hyderabad.
The opening ceremony will be held at 4 pm today with Shri T Padma Rao Goud and Shri Dr Vivek Anand as chief guests, and numerous other guests of honour and special invitees.
Defending Champs Tamil Nadu girls have opened with an easy win over Rajasthan, while Punjab and Karnataka boys too have registered important victories.
In an exciting overtime game, Haryana boys have beaten Delhi 69-65.

Bengaluru, 1st July 2017: The 34th Youth National Basketball Championship for Boys and Girls has tipped off at the Indoor Stadium, Gachibowli in Hyderabad.

The Championship is being organized by the Hyderabad District Basketball Association under the aegis of the Telangana Basketball Association and the Basketball Federation of India.

In the morning matches so far, defending champions Tamil Nadu girls have opened with an easy 76-31 win over Rajasthan. In the boys section, Karnataka and Punjab also registered important victories over Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh respectively. Last year’s semifinalists Karnataka trailed at the end of the first and second quarters before a strong showing in the third period saw them outlast their opponents from western India. In the Punjab vs Chhattisgarh boys game, repeated turnovers in the third quarter cost Chhattisgarh dearly as Punjab was able to pull away for the easy double digit win.

Arguably the most exciting match of the morning was between Haryana and Delhi boys. This level 1 Group A league encounter started with Delhi dominating, with 14-7 and 13-9 opening quarters. That’s when the momentum shifted drastically towards Haryana who clawed their way back in the second half. A buzzer beating two pointer by Haryana’s Mukesh pushed the game into overtime and they continued to shine in the extra five minutes to hand Delhi the heartbreaking loss.

In lower level 2 games, Himachal Pradesh boys and girls, West Bengal girls and MP girls too posted victories in their respective bids to get elevated to Level 1.

Results from Day 1 (1st July 2017) until 1:00 pm

Girls

Level 1

Group A

Tamil Nadu (S Pushpa 14, S Lakshmipriya 13, Monica 10) bt Rajasthan (Ankita Mandia 11, Shatakshi 9, Akshita 8) 76-31 [25-8, 25-10, 14-9, 12-4]

Level 2

Group C

Himachal Pradesh (Pallavi 14, Ramandeep 9, Ananya 8) bt Goa (Katherine Barr 10, Shimei Nathan 6) 49-27 [18-4, 12-6, 14-10, 5-7]

Group D

West Bengal (J Routh 18, B Das 12, M Singh 12) bt Uttarakhand (Srishti Sharma 14) 74-20 [18-0, 15-0, 17-6, 24-14]

Boys

Level 1

Group A

Karnataka (Prashant T 21, Akshan Rao 13, S Sreenivas 10) bt Rajasthan (Kuldeep Singh 23, Digvijay 16, Rajveer 10) 70-65 [13-18, 21-17, 27-16, 9-14]
Haryana (Mukesh 24, Gaurav 18) bt Delhi (Nitish 29, Aman 20) 69-65 [14-7, 13-9, 16-23, 17-21, 9-5(OT)]

Group B

Punjab (Akashdeep Sharma 27, H Singh 9, Md Singh Gill 8) bt Chhattisgarh (Ayushman Singh 14, Govind 11, Ritesh Yadav 08) 55-42 [16-8, 04-12, 18-9, 17-13]

Level 2

Group C

Himachal Pradesh (Abhay 25, S Singh 13, Sahil 6) bt Chandigarh (Sahaij 15, Jaskaran 15, Harkirat 08) 61-55 [6-18, 16-8, 14-11, 25-18]

Group E

Madhya Pradesh (Uday Veer Yadav 29, Divyaraj Singh 23, Mani Thakur 6) bt Odisha (Chitta Ranjan 8, Harsh Vardhar 7, Soilen Mondal 7) 62-26 [23-06, 17-09, 18-06, 04-05]

About the 34th Youth National Basketball Championship

The Championship is featuring 26 boys’ teams and 25 girls’ teams in the U16 age group, from various Indian States and Union territories, and is being played in a league cum knockout format.

The matches are being played at the Indoor Stadium, Gachibowli, Hyderabad from 1st to 8th July.

Kerala boys and Tamil Nadu girls are the defending champions from the previous edition held in Hassan, Karnataka in November 2016.

The teams are grouped into two levels –Level 1 features the top 10 teams from the previous championship divided into two groups of five teams each (Group A and B), while Level 2 features the remaining teams divided into four groups (Group C, D, E, F).

In the league stages, all the teams play each of the other teams in their group once. The top three teams from each of the groups in Level 1 advance directly to the quarterfinals, while the fourth placed teams play pre-quarterfinal games against the top two teams from Level 2.

The competition is expected to be fierce beyond the immediate prospect of glory, because the teams that finish last in each of the groups in Level 1 are relegated to Level 2 for the next edition of the tournament, while the Level 2 teams that qualified for the pre-quarterfinals will replace them in Level 1 in the next edition.

Over the years, this Championship has provided a platform for the country’s best players in the U16 category to showcase their talents. This allows selectors to identify and shortlist the most promising players and coaches to parachute into national team training camps with an eye towards participation in international events.

About Basketball Federation of India

The Basketball Federation of India or BFI is the governing and controlling body of basketball in India, and is responsible for the development and promotion of the sport at all levels. BFI has been involved in conducting camps, clinics, events, and training sessions at its academies for the development of basketball. BFI came into being in 1935 and took complete control over Indian basketball in 1950. Prior to that time, the Indian Olympic Association handled the conduct of Indian basketball championships. Since 1950, the BFI has been conducting various such championships, from the grassroots to senior team participation in international tournaments. In addition, the BFI has been responsible for the establishment of strong sub-junior and junior level programs. The BFI has to its credit produced several international players of repute, among them 17 have been bestowed with the honour of Arjuna Awards. Earlier in June 2015, Satnam Singh Bhamara made history by becoming the first Indian national to be drafted by an NBA team, when he was selected by the Dallas Mavericks.

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July 1, 2017, 11:48 pm

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34TH YOUTH NATIONAL BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP TIPS OFF IN HYDERABAD

JULY 2, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Don_Bosco_Hyderabad_school_children_with_an_entertaining_basketball_themed_performance_during_the_op_2582243

The 34th Youth National Basketball Championship for Boys and Girls tipped off this morning at the Indoor Stadium, Gachibowli in Hyderabad.
The opening ceremony was held in the evening with Shri T Padma Rao Goud and Shri Dr Vivek Anand as chief guests, and numerous other guests of honour and special invitees.
Defending Champs Tamil Nadu girls have opened with an easy win over Rajasthan, while Punjab and Karnataka boys too have registered important victories.
In an exciting overtime game, Haryana boys have beaten Delhi 69-65.
Hosts Telangana girls too have got off to a dream start, beating Bihar 42-10, while Andhra Pradesh girls fell to Odisha.

Bengaluru, 1st July 2017: The 34th Youth National Basketball Championship for Boys and Girls has tipped off at the Indoor Stadium, Gachibowli in Hyderabad.

The Championship is being organized by the Hyderabad District Basketball Association under the aegis of the Telangana Basketball Association and the Basketball Federation of India.

Morning Session

In lower level 2 games, Himachal Pradesh boys and girls, West Bengal girls and MP girls too posted victories in their respective bids to get elevated to Level 1.

Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony was in the afternoon, with Shri T Padma Rao Goud (Minister for Sports and Youth Services as well as Excise & Prohibition) and Shri Dr Vivek Anand (Advisor to Government of Telangana & Chairman & Managing Director, Visaka Groups) as chief guests. Guests of honour include Shri G Kishan Reddy (MLA, BJP), Shri Burra Venkatesam (Telangana Principal Secretary, Youth Affairs & Sports), Shri K Govindaraj (President, BFI), Shri Chander Mukhi Sharma (General Secretary, BFI) and Shri Ragothaman (Treasurer, BFI). Special invitees include Shri Ranga Rao (President, Olympic Association of Telangana), Smt Dr Vidya Sravanthi (Co-option Member, GMHC), Shri S R Prem Raj (General Secretary, Olympic Association of Telangana) and Shri Arvind Krishna (Film Actor).

Don Bosco School, Hyderabad were particularly entertaining with their innovative basketball themed performance that was enjoyed and appreciated by all those present.

Later in the evening hosts Telangana girls got off to a dream start beating Bihar 42-10.

Results from Day 1 (1st July 2017) until 7:00 pm

Girls

Level 1

Group A

Tamil Nadu (S Pushpa 14, S Lakshmipriya 13, Monica 10) bt Rajasthan (Ankita Mandia 11, Shatakshi 9, Akshita 8) 76-31 [25-8, 25-10, 14-9, 12-4]
Maharashtra (Suzanne 15, Shruti Bhosale 13) bt Punjab (Heena 17, Radha Rani 15) 57-47 [18-10, 9-7, 7-14, 23-16]

Group B

Chhattisgarh (Elizabeth Ekka 24, M Nagmani 11) bt Gujarat (Naina Patel 16, Hetushree S 6) 69-35 [15-9, 20-7, 19-11, 15-8]

Level 2

Group C

Himachal Pradesh (Pallavi 14, Ramandeep 9, Ananya 8) bt Goa (Katherine Barr 10, Shimei Nathan 6) 49-27 [18-4, 12-6, 14-10, 5-7]

Group D

West Bengal (J Routh 18, B Das 12, M Singh 12) bt Uttarakhand (Srishti Sharma 14) 74-20 [18-0, 15-0, 17-6, 24-14]

Group E

Telangana (G Sandhya 9, Aarya 8) bt Bihar (Kavya 5) 42-10 [18-3, 8-2, 10-2, 6-3]

Group F

Odisha (Lipramayee 23, Swagatika 13) bt Andhra Pradesh (V Satwika 12, R Swetha 11) 46-41 [11-7, 13-8, 12-6, 10-20]

Boys

Level 1

Group A

Karnataka (Prashant T 21, Akshan Rao 13, S Sreenivas 10) bt Rajasthan (Kuldeep Singh 23, Digvijay 16, Rajveer 10) 70-65 [13-18, 21-17, 27-16, 9-14]
Haryana (Mukesh 24, Gaurav 18) bt Delhi (Nitish 29, Aman 20) 69-65 [14-7, 13-9, 16-23, 17-21, 9-5(OT)]

Group B

Punjab (Akashdeep Sharma 27, H Singh 9, Md Singh Gill 8) bt Chhattisgarh (Ayushman Singh 14, Govind 11, Ritesh Yadav 08) 55-42 [16-8, 04-12, 18-9, 17-13]

Group C

West Bengal (Avijit Monkar 37) bt Jammu & Kashmir (Shivam Heer 21, Harithik C 14) 70-51 [25-19, 11-12, 18-9, 16-11]

Level 2

Group C

Himachal Pradesh (Abhay 25, S Singh 13, Sahil 6) bt Chandigarh (Sahaij 15, Jaskaran 15, Harkirat 08) 61-55 [6-18, 16-8, 14-11, 25-18]

Group E

Madhya Pradesh (Uday Veer Yadav 29, Divyaraj Singh 23, Mani Thakur 6) bt Odisha (Chitta Ranjan 8, Harsh Vardhar 7, Soilen Mondal 7) 62-26 [23-06, 17-09, 18-06, 04-05]

About the 34th Youth National Basketball Championship

The Championship is featuring 26 boys’ teams and 25 girls’ teams in the U16 age group, from various Indian States and Union territories, and is being played in a league cum knockout format.

The matches are being played at the Indoor Stadium, Gachibowli, Hyderabad from 1st to 8th July.

Kerala boys and Tamil Nadu girls are the defending champions from the previous edition held in Hassan, Karnataka in November 2016.

About Basketball Federation of India

The Basketball Federation of India or BFI is the governing and controlling body of basketball in India, and is responsible for the development and promotion of the sport at all levels. BFI has been involved in conducting camps, clinics, events, and training sessions at its academies for the development of basketball. BFI came into being in 1935 and took complete control over Indian basketball in 1950. Prior to that time, the Indian Olympic Association handled the conduct of Indian basketball championships. Since 1950, the BFI has been conducting various such championships, from the grassroots to senior team participation in international tournaments. In addition, the BFI has been responsible for the establishment of strong sub-junior and junior level programs. The BFI has to its credit produced several international players of repute, among them 17 have been bestowed with the honour of Arjuna Awards. Earlier in June 2015, Satnam Singh Bhamara made history by becoming the first Indian national to be drafted by an NBA team, when he was selected by the Dallas Mavericks.

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BEYONCÉ PARTNERS WITH UNICEF TO BRING SAFE WATER TO CHILDREN IN BURUNDI

JULY 2, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Beyoncé partners with UNICEF to bring safe water to children in remote areas of Burundi

NEW ORLEANS, 30 June 2017 – Global entertainer and humanitarian Beyoncé has teamed up with UNICEF through her BeyGOOD philanthropic arm to announce the launch of BEYGOOD4BURUNDI, a multi-year partnership to provide safe water to the most vulnerable children in Burundi. The partnership will support programmes to improve water, sanitation and basic hygiene practices in the hardest-to-reach areas of the landlocked East African nation.

The water crisis in Burundi is a crisis for children. When children have to rely on unsafe water, they become weak, malnourished and susceptible to water-borne diseases, which are among the leading causes of death in children under five. The lack of water also forces children to miss out on school to walk for miles in search of wells. The burden of fetching water falls disproportionately on girls, who risk attacks along their journeys.

“Access to water is a fundamental right. When you give children clean and safe water, you don’t just give them life, you give them health, an education, and a brighter future. I am committed to helping drive lasting solutions to the water crisis in Burundi,” said Beyoncé.

“Addressing the global water crisis is one of the defining challenges of our time, and the children of Burundi are among the most vulnerable,” said Caryl M. Stern, President and CEO of UNICEF USA. “This unique partnership combines UNICEF’s decades of expertise in providing clean water to children in Burundi and around the world with the power and influence of the entertainment world to bring about social change. We are grateful to Beyoncé and BeyGOOD for joining forces with UNICEF, to highlight this critical issue to new audiences.”

“BEYGOOD4BURUNDI is a continuation of the work that Beyoncé, her family and Parkwood Entertainment are doing to address water crises around the world, including right here in the state of Louisiana and in Michigan,” said Ivy McGregor, ‎Director of Philanthropy and Corporate Relations at Parkwood Entertainment, who traveled to Burundi earlier this year. “In Burundi I saw myself, my sisters and my mother in the strength of the women and young sisters travelling miles to carry water for their families. Today young girls in the ‘Heart of Africa’ are given the gift of hope for a brighter tomorrow through our multi-year partnership with UNICEF and commitment to support safe water access solutions.”

The first phase of the partnership includes the construction of new wells equipped with hand pumps, hygiene education and the improvement of water and sanitation facilities in schools in four priority regions, including Bukemba and Giharo in Rutana Province and Kinyinya and Nyabitsinda in Ruyigui Province. In these rural communities, children are chronically malnourished and more than 65 percent of the population use unsafe water sources. Children and families have to walk long distances to water collection points, and even then the water access rate is extremely low.

Further announcements related to the initiative will be made on 20 November 2017, when the world comes together to celebrate World Children’s Day – and give a voice and global platform to the most vulnerable and hardest to reach children on the planet.

More than 100 million people have gained access to water, sanitation and hygiene services with the support of UNICEF in the last three years. With over 70 years of field-tested experience and a network that spans the globe, UNICEF has unequalled expertise in providing immediate, lifesaving relief as well as driving long-term, sustainable solutions to the biggest development challenges facing the world’s children.

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PM MODI WARNS OF TOUGH ACTION AGAINST BLACK MONEY HOARDER

JULY 2, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that his Government is committed to take tough action against firms helping in hiding black money without being concerned about its political implications.

The Prime Minister speaking at the foundation day function of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India in New Delhi last evening said, three lakh companies have come under scanner post demonetisation and more than one lakh companies have been de-registered by the Registrar of Companies. Mr Modi said, large number of shell companies have been identified against whom action is being initiated.

The Prime Minister emphasised it would become more difficult for people stashing illicit funds in Swiss banks once automatic tax information exchange regime begins between India and Switzerland. He said it is surprising that in a huge country like India, there are only 32 lakh people who claim to have income above ten lakh rupees per annum.

Mr Modi urged the CAs to take the lead in the journey towards India’s economic growth. He called upon Chartered Accountants to advice their clients to pay their taxes honestly.

The Prime Minister said the money which government receives as taxes are spent on public welfare and development of the country. He said the foundation day of the ICAI coincides with the launch of GST which intends to weed out black money from the system. He said the CAs will have to play a major role following implementation of Insolvency and Bankrupcy Code. He termed the CAs as Charter of Accuracy and Compliance of Authenticity.

Earlier, addressing the gathering, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said government has rationalised the taxation system and made it online. He said India has become most favored destination for FDI and 90 percent FDI is coming through automatic route. He said now subsidies are going directly to bank accounts of beneficiaries through financial inclusion.

Mr Jaitley said government tried to make the country’s economy formalised and digital through demonetisation. The Finance Minister also said there is no need to worry about GST as it is joint decision of Centre and state governments.

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DP CLAIMS DELHI SAFER- ITALIAN ABDUCTED IN PRE-PAID TAXI

JULY 2, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

July02, 2017 (C) Ravinder Singh progressindia2015@gmail.com

Delhi Police claimed reduction in crime in New Delhi district but DP story was at the bottom of page 2 of June29 of TOI – stories above it related to Protests at Jantar Mantar, regarding attacks on Minorities & Dalits, Italian Tourist Abducted in Pre-Paid Taxi, A person Batters to death, many hundreds Thefts, Stalking, Murders, Eve Teasing, Cheating that couldn’t be covered by TOI – should also include Senior Citizens, victims of Crimes, False cases registered by DP and Avoid Registering Crimes.

I was in a Patiala House Court on May30, 2017 in connection with 66A case instituted much after Supreme Court of India declared it as Unconstitutional in April2015 –

– Was Horrified to notice Delhi Police took keen interest in ‘Proclaimed Offender’ case tens of thousands of s138 Cases were registered for Check Bounce in Case of Vodafone Telephone bills – amount ranging from Rs.500 to Rs.2000 and Consumers in avoiding arrest hide somewhere and DP declare them as Proclaimed Offenders, are required to seek bail worth Rs.10,000 for personal and Rs.10,000 for guarantors plus many more thousand Advocate cost.

Italian Tourist hired PRE-PAID TAXI from Delhi Airport on June20 – top security zone to Paharganj Hotel another High Security Zone that reported Terrorist Attack also – was Abducted and taken to Chandigarh – she escaped on her own in 6 days* – no Credit to Delhi Police. [Her family in Italy Must be Enquiring From Embassy – Police Has No Idea.]

*No TRACKING of Delhi Taxi passing through CCTVs at Toll Plazas, Mobile Phone Tracking of Taxi Driver, No Call Details or GPS Tracking – Delhi Police Had No Verified Numbers.

— No Mobile Phone, Registration and GPS Numbers inside Autos & Taxis.

Delhi Airport has High Resolution CCTV Cameras – Every Vehicle entering or leaving is Captured and Photographed and ‘Number Plate’ – in addition to PRE-PAID Booking – Delhi Police didn’t Notice – NO REPORTING OF ‘TAXI’ INVOLVED IN ABDUCTION FOR 6 DAYS – Taxis are expected to be back in 2 hours in Peak Hours, 1 hour at night.

Even Pre-Paid Taxis Owners-Drivers at Delhi AIRPORT are ‘NOT POLICE VERIFIED’, when

All 5 Lakh Drivers & Owners of Commercial Vehicles Should Be VERIFIED ANNUALLY.

Delhi Police Fails to Prevent STREET CRIMES as all Police Officers own Two Wheelers or Cars besides – Mob Attacks Even in CCTV Camera Zones. CCTV Cameras are mostly Don’t Work or Monitors Used to Watch Films & Movies.

DP & Railway Stations has CCTV – Delhi Police ‘Couldn’t IDENTIFY DAILY PASSENGERS’ from CCTV, Footage of some Office gave the main lead.

Except VIP Security, Delhi Police to WORK Under Delhi Government Control.

Ravinder Singh, Inventor & Consultant, INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND PROJECTS

Y-77, Hauz Khas, ND -110016, India. Ph: 091- 9871056471, 9718280435, 9650421857

Ravinder Singh* is a WIPO awarded inventor specializing in Power, Transportation,

Smart Cities, Water, Energy Saving, Agriculture, Manufacturing, Technologies and Projects

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5.1 M QUAKE HITS HOKKAIDO ISLAND

JULY 2, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

A 5.1-magnitude earthquake struck Japan’s northernmost Hokkaido island. Japan Meteorological agency said earthquake hit Abira settlement late yesterday, while Iburi province suffered from 5-magnitude quakes within 7 points scale used in Japan. According to local authorities, one woman was injured in the earthquake after she fell down and broke her ribs. Traffic was temporarily blocked in the affected area.

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SERVICE TAX DEPARTMENT PRESS MEET ANNOUNCING THE ARRIVAL OF GST.

JULY 2, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Service Tax Department & Government of India hosted a press meet announcing the arrival of GST.

The press meet saw the presence of Chief Commissioner CGST Mumbai Zone-S.C. Varshney, Additional Commissioner CCO- S.C. Gangar, Deputy Commissioner CCO- S.K. Mishra, Commissioner Mumbai Cebtral- K.C. Gupta, Joint Commissioner Mumbai Central- Pankaj Kumar, Additional Commissioner Mumbai South- K.K. Gupta, Commissioner Mumbai East- Piyusha Patnaik

Additional Commissioner Mumbai East- Nilkhanth Shelke, Commissioner Mumbai West- Sandeep Puri

Additional Commissioner Mumbai- Manpreet Arya, Commissioner Audit 2-Suresh Krishnani

Additional Commissioner 2- A.K. Goyal, Commissioner Audit 3 – Shanbhoo Nath, Additional Commissioner- Manisha Goyal.

Ushering into Saturday, Service Tax Department & Government of India announced the arrival of the Goods and Services Tax ( GST) in India. All the dignitaries Sushil Solanki , Nihal Kothari , Shouvik Roy,Ashish Pednekar (speakers) spoke about GST, India’s biggest-ever tax reform, which will bring in place a single tax system that some analysts predict will be bigger than that of the European Union.

Service Tax Department & Government of India kicked off proceedings, delivering a short address in which they called GST an “important achievement for the entire country.” “The old India was economically fragmented, the new India will create one tax, one market and for one nation”.

Addressing the gathering, Chief Commissioner CGST Mumbai Zone-S.C. Varshney

said the introduction of GST is a moment of precedent for the country “I had always believed that GST was a matter of time and was happy when it was enacted and I gave assent to the Constitution amendment last year,” he said.

GST is expected to check tax evasion and broaden tax base. In the new regime, all filings will be done only through electronic mode to ensure non-intrusive administration. This will minimise taxpayers’ physical interaction with the tax officials.

The GST regime seeks to reduce rates of over 50 per cent of items of daily use and charge others at much lower rate of 5 per cent, 12 per cent and 18 per cent.

A higher tax rate is imposed on luxury and sin goods at 28 per cent in the new regime. Certain services like telephone, banking and insurance are expected to feel the pinch of higher taxes.

GST also promises taxpayers a refund against their sales within 60 days. Similarly, exporters will get refund within seven days. For protection of consumer rights, the new law provides anti-profiteering provisions. In a departure from the normal practice, the GST will be administered together by the Centre and the states.

Complications, however, are expected, and the general consensus is that it will take at least a month before GST’s true impact is realised.

Though even critics of the roll out agree that in the long run, GST will benefit the Indian economy.

Regards
Picture N Kraft Team
19/101 Mhada Complex, Oshiwara Garden Lane,
New Link Road, Andheri (West) Mumbai-400053
Email-parul@picturenkraft.com

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34TH YNBCHAMP, DAY 2- UP BOYS BT PUNJAB; HOSTS TELANGANA BOYS OPEN WITH WIN

JULY 2, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Tanay_Thatte_of_Maharashtra_led_from_the_front_yet_again__this_time_in_beating_Chhattisgarh_by_1_poi_3565955

34th Youth National Basketball Championship Day 2- UP boys bt Punjab; Hosts Telangana boys open with win

Bengaluru, 2nd July 2017: The 34th Youth National Basketball Championship for Boys and Girls entered Day 2 today at the Indoor Stadium, Gachibowli in Hyderabad.

The Championship is being organized by the Hyderabad District Basketball Association under the aegis of the Telangana Basketball Association and the Basketball Federation of India.

Maharashtra, UP and Telangana boys post wins

A short while ago, Maharashtra boys beat Chhattisgarh by 1 point, 54-53. This was after they upset Tamil Nadu yesterday 69-67. Maharashtra is now 2-0 and is the top placed team in Group B, with 2 matches still to be played. Just like in the game against Tamil Nadu yesterday, yet again, it was Maharashtra’s captain Tanay Thatte who came through for his side. Tanay’s match-high 25 points also included two clutch freethrows in the final few seconds that secured the win.

In a significant league encounter this morning, last year’s runners up Uttar Pradesh continued to shine at the U16 level this year too, beating Punjab 68-62. UP (1-0) and Punjab (1-1) are both teams favoured to reach the decisive stages of the Championship so this clash between these strong teams was an excellent appetizer for things to come. Punjab centre Princepal Singh, who is already dominating at the National U18 level and only last month helped his state win the Junior National Championship had 21 points today, but it paled in comparison to UP’s Priyhanshu who scorched his way to 42 game winning points. Scores were tied at the end of the first quarter and remained almost neck and neck going into the halfime. Q3 saw UP pull ahead thanks to 5 straight points by Priyhanshu and by the start of the fourth period UP was up by 8 points, 54-46. Punjab’s Akashdeep Sharma hit 5 threes to complement Princeipal, but eventually it was UP that secured the W.

Earlier in the morning, hosts Telangana boys opened with a lopsided 59-10 win over Puducherry in lower Level 2 action. Telangana will need to top its Group F and finish among the top two Level 2 teams in order to progress to the knockout stages.

In girls’ Level 1 play, Kerala overcame the disappointment of yesterday’s loss to Karnataka by beating Uttar Pradesh 69-48. Balanced scoring by Kerala, with 4 players posting 15 points or more made it hard for UP to contain their talented opponents.

Results from Day 2 (2nd July 2017) until 12:30 pm

Girls

Level 1

Group B

Kerala (Anmariya Johny 17, Sandra KA 16, Aparna Sadasivan 15, Anagha Nair 15) bt Uttar Pradesh (Vartika Kushwaha 23, Muniba Ali 16) 69-48 [14-16, 13-12, 22-10, 20-10]

Level 2

Group C

Haryana (Suman 17, Ritika 9) bt Goa (Kimeron Vas 8, Naomi Nunes 7) 36-15 [3-3, 13-5, 8-4, 12-3]

Group D

West Bengal (Jyothi Routh 22, Liza Deb 19) bt Chandigarh (Tarini Boprai 31, Nilisha 6) 61-50 [21-12, 13-14, 13-16, 14-8]
Uttarakhand (Divyangana 14, Kamaljit 12) bt Jammu & Kashmir (Chitreshi 4, Ananya 4) 22-8 [2-5, 10-3, 5-0, 5-0]

Group E

Delhi (Khushi 11) bt Bihar (Kushi Prakhar 2) 43-2 [10-2, 17-0, 14-0, 2-0]

Group F

Andhra Pradesh (P Sathya Sai 21) bt Assam (Lakshmi Kachari 6) 35-14 [15-6, 5-1, 6-4, 9-3]
Odisha (Lipramayee 18) bt Puducherry (Monisha 4) 39-21 [8-2, 12-11, 12-4, 7-4]

Boys

Level 1

Group B

Uttar Pradesh (Priyhanshu 42, Shubham Karwasara 9) bt Punjab (Princepal Singh 21, Akashdeep Sharma 17) 68-62 [12-12, 18-17, 24-17, 14-16]
Maharashtra (Tanay Thatte 25, Om Pawar 14, Arjun Yadav 4) bt Chhattisgarh (Ayushman Singh 16, Govind 15, Ritesh Yadav 9) 54-53 [17-21, 10-9, 9-11, 18-12]

Level 2

Group C

Telangana (Vinay Kothari 11, Vighneshwar 11, Sumant Marni 10) bt Puducherry (P Pavithran 6) 59-10 [22-4, 17-0, 14-4, 6-2]- This match was originally scheduled to be played on 1st July but was subsequently postponed.

Group E

Madhya Pradesh bt Tripura walkover*

Results from Day 1 (1st July 2017) after 7:00 pm

Girls

Level 1

Group B

Karnataka (Grishma N 17, Sanjana Ramesh 11) bt Kerala (Aparna Sadasivan 11, Sandra K A 9) 52-45 [14-6, 13-18, 12-10, 13-11]

Level 2

Group C

Assam (Lakshmi Kachari 12, Shinjini Basu 7) bt Puducherry (Monisha K 5) 34-24 [6-2, 6-7, 10-10, 12-5]
Chandigarh (Jaismeen Kaur 10, Tarini Boprai 4) bt Jammu & Kashmir (Chitresh Gupta 3) 21-3 [12-0, 6-0, 3-0, 0-3]

Boys

Level 1

Group B

Maharashtra (Tanay Thatte 38, Kamlesh Rajbhar 13) bt Tamil Nadu (Gokul V 31, Dhanush G 9, Lokeswaran M 8) 69-67 [16-11, 21-19, 18-23, 14-14]

Level 2

Group D

Gujarat (Rushal Khoilya 22, Rishadh Chaudhary 20, Bhavya Upadhyay 9) bt Uttarakhand (Ansh Saini 19, Arin Singh 7) 62-37 [11-4, 16-14, 21-14, 14-5]
Bihar (V Naga Durga 14, S Nayeem 13, J Amruth Raj 11, M Mani Kanta 10) bt Jharkhand (Sushant Deep 11, Prabhat Kr M 10, Varun Raipat 7) 57-34 [14-11, 10-3, 8-11, 25-9]

Group E

Assam bt Tripura walkover*

Group F

Andhra Pradesh (V N Durga Prasad 22, M Manikanta 17, A S Pavan Kumar 10) bt Goa (Jeshua Pinto 6) 73-16 [29-6, 11-4, 16-6, 17-0]

*The Tripura boys team has withdrawn itself from the Championship.

About the 34th Youth National Basketball Championship

The Championship is featuring 25 boys’ and 25 girls’ teams in the U16 age group, from various Indian States and Union territories, and is being played in a league cum knockout format.

The matches are being played at the Indoor Stadium, Gachibowli, Hyderabad from 1st to 8th July.

Kerala boys and Tamil Nadu girls are the defending champions from the previous edition held in Hassan, Karnataka in November 2016.

About Basketball Federation of India

The Basketball Federation of India or BFI is the governing and controlling body of basketball in India, and is responsible for the development and promotion of the sport at all levels. BFI has been involved in conducting camps, clinics, events, and training sessions at its academies for the development of basketball. BFI came into being in 1935 and took complete control over Indian basketball in 1950. Prior to that time, the Indian Olympic Association handled the conduct of Indian basketball championships. Since 1950, the BFI has been conducting various such championships, from the grassroots to senior team participation in international tournaments. In addition, the BFI has been responsible for the establishment of strong sub-junior and junior level programs. The BFI has to its credit produced several international players of repute, among them 17 have been bestowed with the honour of Arjuna Awards. Earlier in June 2015, Satnam Singh Bhamara made history by becoming the first Indian national to be drafted by an NBA team, when he was selected by the Dallas Mavericks.

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UFLEX STAIRS SCHOOL FOOTBALL LEAGUE (SSFL) ARRIVES IN UTTAR PRADESH

JULY 4, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Varanasi/New Delhi – July 4, 2017: The world’s biggest talent scouting and training programme, Uflex Stairs School Football League (SSFL) arrives in Uttar Pradesh. After the resounding success in the states of Delhi and Gujarat, SSFL makes a new beginning today in the ancient holy city of Varanasi in partnership with the Uttar Pradesh Football Sangh.

Today with the launch in UP, in its fourth year the Uflex SSFL will only grow into a bigger movement with stronger participation and engagement of youth and children. With scouting and honing of talent by better training, a league of world class footballers will emerge and do India proud in the global football arenas.

Last year under the aegis of Uflex SSFL-3 held in Gujarat and Delhi, more than 35,000 children from 2000 schools competed 4000 matches. The tournament was organised in the FIFA format.

We in STAIRS believe that such initiatives help create opportunities for schools children to pursue their passion in a field of sport. It’s also essential for a holistic development of the children by engagement and participation. In the process, they get a platform to showcase their talent.

The objective of SSFL-Uttar Pradesh is to identify, support and nurture football talent in the most populous state of India. We have been getting continuous support from the Uflex Ltd.-India’s largest flexible packaging company as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative. We will initially operate in two regions—Gorakhpur and Varanasi which will consist of eights districts of Chandauli, Ghazipur, Jaunpur, Varanasi, Deoria, Kushinagar and Gorkahpur.

In the Phase-1, 160 teams of under-17 age group from these two regions will compete. In the Phase -2, the winner teams will compete representing their respective districts.

Founder and Secretary General, STAIRS, Shri Siddhartha Upadhyay, is upbeat. “We feel inspired and excited to launch the Uflex SSFL in Varanasi. There cannot be a better place to do that. Varanasi is an ancient city and repository of Indian culture, traditions, music and philosophy. It also happens to be the constituency of our Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi who feels ‘Sports can be a great means of national integration’. We are pleased to work with Uttar Pradesh Football Sangh to encourage sports amongst youth and children. In the first phase some 20,000 children will get the opportunity to showcase their football talent.”

“I am thankful to Uflex Group for its continued support to the initiative,” Shri Upadhyay added.

The Hon. General Secretary of Uttar Pradesh Football Sangh, Shri Mohd. Shamsuddin said, “We are glad to be associated with SSFL as this will provide valuable opportunities to youth and children at the grassroots level. I’m sure this association will result in promising outcomes and encourage sports in the state.”

Shri Gulab Chauhan who wears many caps is the Secretary Gujarat State Football Association; Chairman of Referee Board (AIFF); Head- SSFL National council is of the view that “the commitment of STAIRS towards encouragement of football at grassroots is unparalleled. Sports is good for mind and body, also for the general well-being of the community at large.”

The SSFL has become one of the most important sporting event and ‘talent spotting’ platform in the country. Various sports clubs and other agencies involved in the administration of sports, officials and national selectors keep an eyes on prodigies during the SSFL tournament. The selectors of international clubs too keep a tab by way of ‘live streaming’ of important matches. They also request for videos of the matches to have a closer look at the performance of some promising players.

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CENTRAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING ON NCC

JULY 4, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Dr. Subhash Bhamre, Hon’ble Raksha Rajya Mantri chaired the 50th Central Advisory Committee (CAC) meeting of the National Cadet Corps on 04 Jul 2017 in New Delhi. The meeting was attended by the Chiefs of Army Staff, Naval Staff & Air Staff, Defence Secretary, Financial Advisor (Defence Services), Secretary (Deptt of Higher Education), DGNCC, Member of Parliament Smt Kum Sushmita Dev, Shri Anupam Kher, Shri Piyush Pandey, Dr. Parth J Shah, Social Activists and other eminent dignitaries.

The DGNCC, Lt Gen Vinod Vashisht, AVSM, VSM & BAR presented a detailed update on NCC activities to the members of the CAC. The Hon’ble Raksha Rajya Mantri in his address complimented the NCC on the performance of its cadets in various activities pertaining to training, adventure, social service and community development.

NCC presently has cadet strength of 13 lakhs and it plans to expand to 15 lakhs and beyond. NCC has a Pan India foot print which includes remote areas and low intensity conflict areas. CAC reviewed provisions, activities and initiative to make the organisation more effective to attain its mandate there in.

The Committee deliberated on various issues in order to optimize training efforts so that NCC continues to perform in an excellent manner towards character and leadership building of the youth of the nation. Raksha Rajya Mantri complimented the efforts of NCC in nation building and urged the organisation to continue ‘Grooming Future Leaders’.

Sd/***

(Umang Kohli)

Lt Col

Addl Dir (Pub)

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I PLEDGE TO LEAVE MY DAUGHTER HER EQUAL SHARE OF PROPERTY

JULY 4, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Dear Sagar Media Inc,

Arti writes, “My husband and I have been blessed with a daughter, Mithi Anubhuti. She is the love of our life. We want our daughter to be supported so that she grows up to be strong and independent. That is why we have pledged to leave her our property.

By leaving her property, we know that we are supporting her future, as well as leaving behind a better tomorrow for her children and for society. When women have property, everyone benefits.

Thankfully, my husband and I are not alone in thinking this way. We know that you too would feel the same way about yourself, your sisters, and your daughters. That is why we’re asking you to sign our pledge.”

Sign her pledge.

The People of India: I Pledge To Leave My Daughter Her Equal Share Of Property #PropertyForHer

Arti Pandey
India

Sign Arti’s Pledge

I faced discrimination from my joint-family for being born a girl. Fortunately, my father was a progressive man who made sure that I was educated and supported.

Not all girls are as lucky as me. In India, lakhs of girls are ignored and abused. They are married off at a young age, they are not educated, and many of them are killed even before they’re born.

This is because girls are seen as a burden. Families don’t want to leave them property or ‘waste’ any money on supporting girls. Many think that giving their daughter a dowry is enough, but most often this dowry is controlled not by her but by her husband and his family. Further, this dowry is only a fraction of the value of an equal share of her family’s property. Without a strong support system, without financial security, how are girls supposed to grow up to be fearless, strong, and independent women?

How can a woman walk away from an abusive relationship, how can a woman earn a livelihood, if she has no support from her parents or no financial security?

My husband and I have been blessed with a daughter, Mithi Anubhuti. She is the love of our life. We want our daughter to be supported so that she grows up to be strong and independent. That is why we have pledged to leave her our property.

We don’t have much property, but by giving her the little that we have, we will show Mithi that she always has our support.

By leaving her property, we know that we are supporting her future, as well as leaving behind a better tomorrow for her children and for society. When women have property, everyone benefits.

Thankfully, my husband and I are not alone in thinking this way. We know that you too would feel the same way about yourself, your sisters, and your daughters. That is why we’re asking you to sign our pledge.

If you are a mother or father, sign this pledge and promise to leave your daughter her equal share of property. If you are a brother, pledge to stand with your sister in seeking her property rights. If you are a woman, take this pledge with a commitment to asking for your equal share.

Show the world that India is changing and that there is a massive movement to make sure India’s daughters are supported and empowered.

— Arti Pandey, Co-Founder and Secretary of Bitiya, Madhya Pradesh. Bitiya is an organization formed by parents with only one daughter, working against the social stigma faced by such parents and for the equal rights of all daughters.

Sign Arti’s Pledge

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FALCONS T.T.C.’S SANIL AND DABANG SMASHERS T.T.C.’S SATHIYAN UPSETS TOP SEEDS AT ITTF WORLD TOUR PLATINUM AUSTRALIA OPEN

JULY 4, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

2017 ITTF WORLD TOUR India Open - Preparation day

4 July 2017: In run up to the much anticipated Ultimate Table Tennis, Indian stars Sanil Shetty who will represent Falcons T.T.C and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran who was drafted by Dabang Smashers T.T.C created an upset on Tuesday toppling their Korean and Chinese Taipei counterparts respectively in the Seamaster 2017 ITTF World Tour Platinum Australia Open at Gold Coast, Australia.

Sanil Shetty beat Korea’s Jang Woojin, the no.13 seed, (11-9, 3-11, 12-10, 11-3, 6-11, 11-8) and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran accounted for Chinese Taipei’s Chen Chien-An, the no.14 seed (11-6, 4-11, 1-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-9). In a space of two days Falcons T.T.C.’s Sanil Shetty has beaten players who last year had won ITTF World Tour Men’s Singles titles.

Their victory against their higher ranked counterparts should definitely be a morale booster for both Falcons T.T.C and Dabang Smashers T.T.C. leading up to the league that starts from July 13, 2017 in Chennai.

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ALL-NEW KALINGA STADIUM UNVEILED AHEAD OF ASIAN ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

JULY 4, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Honourable Odisha Chief Minister inaugurates synthetic all-weather main track, warm-up area and floodlights for 22nd Asian Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar

July 1st, Bhubaneswar : Honourable Chief Minister of Odisha Shri Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the all-new Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar today, which is hosting the 22ndAsian Athletics Championships from July 5-9. A cultural extravaganza marked this special occasion for the city of Bhubaneswar as the Honourable CM also unveiled the uniquely-designed medals for the Championships, as well as the plaques next to each renovated area of the prestigious stadium.

It was a day to rejoice for the city of Bhubaneswar as it opened its doors to the Kalinga Stadium for Asia’s premier track and field event, with a full line-up of athletes from Odisha, who have represented India at various sporting events. The Honourable CM also distributed cheques worth Rs 3 lakh to five prominent Odia athletes who have made India proud on the international stage i.e. Dutee Chand, Sarbani Nanda, Purnima Hembram, Amiya Kumar Mallick and Jauna Murmu.

Olympian and national record holder in the 100m women’s hurdles Anuradha Biswal, Asian Games silver medallist Pranati Mishra, Sushma Behera, former Indian women’s football captain Shradhanjali Samantray, BanitaLakra, who was selected for the World Police Meet, and a trio of athletes from the famed Sports Hostel of Bhubaneswar Latika Besra, Raibari Tiria and Sanjukta Mallick ran the inaugural race on the newly laid track, cheered on by the Honourable CM who cut a ribbon to declare the track open.

This momentous day for sports in Odisha and India was marked by festivities as the Kalinga Stadium reverberated with the sound of numerous dhol and shankha by local artists, as the Honourable CM was felicitated on the stage. The CM was then given a tour on a golf cart of all the renovated areas that include the main track, the warm-up track, the newly-installed elevators and state-of-the-art high mast floodlights.

Honourable Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik said: “Odisha has come a long way. After setting global benchmarks in disaster management, playing a major role in the food security of the country, becoming a state known for its transparency and anti-corruption measures, we wanted to take up this challenge to show the world how far we have come. The trust that the people of Odisha have put in us has allowed us to make Bhubaneswar the No. 1 Smart City in the country, besides setting benchmarks in the ease of doing business here. With the Asian Athletics Championships, we also want to showcase how ready we are to host global sporting events. We will also be hosting the Hockey World Cup next year, and in the future we want to be one of the most sought after cities when bigger sporting events take place in India.”

“As many as six athletes from the state participated in the Rio Olympics in 2016 – four hockey players and two runners – and I must remind you they were all women, which goes to show the women power Odisha demonstrated at the world stage.”

The entire work commissioned to complete the renovation of the Kalinga Stadium, besides the beautification of the city of Bhubaneswar to host the Asian Athletics Championships has been completed in record time. Ranchi, which was to host the event, pulled out at the last minute, giving Bhubaneswar just 90 days to prepare from the day the Government of Odisha said yes to hosting the Championships.

The entire work for the renovation of the Kalinga Stadium was completed by June 17, which included the competition area, warm-up area, high mast floodlights as well as the beautification of the seating area and the outside façade of the stadium. Work also included the renovation of all the rooms and toilets inside the Kalinga Stadium, laying of 3 lakh square feet of grass turfing in and around the stadium, and the installation of the 5000 new seats for spectators.

The Government of Odisha took up the challenge with utmost care, and a stage-wise execution of every task was carried out by special teams. As it was not a budgeted event for Odisha, all the funds for the development of the stadium had to be done from the contingency funds allocated to the state, while a number of corporates reached out with strong financial support to organize this event.

Asian Athletics Championships

The Asian Athletics Championships (AAC) is Asia’s flagship event organized by the Asian Athletics Association (AAA). The capital of Odisha, Bhubaneswar will host the 22ndedition of AAC from July 6thto July 9th 2017 at Kalinga Stadium. India has hosted the event earlier on two occasions in New Delhi (1989) and Pune (2013). Nearly 800 athletes from 45 countries will participate across track and field events. The winners of the AAC procure a direct berth in the IAAF World Championships London, 2017.

Website: http://athleticsasia.org/index.php

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EMBASSY OF FRANCE IN INDIA SUPPORTS SUNIL REDDY AS SPECIAL GUEST AT FRANCE’S SOLAR BICYCLE RALLY

JULY 4, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

The Section for Science and Technology of Institut français India, Embassy of France in India

supports Sunil Reddy as Special Guest

at France’s solar bicycle rally, Sun Trip Tour 2017
France-Switzerland-Italy, 8-21 July 2017

New Delhi, 28 June 2017

The Section for Science and Technology (SST) of Institut français India, French Embassy in India, is pleased to announce its support for IIT engineer Sushil Reddy, selected to participate as a Special Guest in the solar bicycle rally, “Sun Trip Tour 2017”. Organised by the French ‘Sun Trip Company’, the solar bike rally will take place from 8 to 21 July, 2017. It will pass through some of France’s most beautiful landscapes in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, and cross two neighboring countries, Switzerland and Italy.

Mumbai IITian Sushil Reddy is the Guinness World Record holder for the longest journey on a motorised bicycle. Using a solar-powered motorised bicycle to raise awareness about solar energy, he made a trip around India between 8 May and 25 July 2016, which started and ended in Mumbai, covering a distance of 7,423.88 km

From a young age, Sushil Reddy has displayed deep commitment to promoting low-cost, clean, sustainable energy, both in his academic and personal life. He has contributed greatly towards this by using science, technology, education and tourism.

A month prior to joining the Sun Trip Tour, Sushil embarked on his own Tour de France with his solar bicycle from 1st June to 2nd July 2017, again in a bid to promote the use of solar energy. Starting from Istres, his journey has led him to Toulouse, Bordeaux, La-Roche-sur-Yon, Rennes, Le Mans, Paris, and will finally take him to Lyon. In each city, he is holding seminars and meeting students in universities like Ecole Centrale, Instituts Polytechniques and HEC Paris, with fruitful discussions on the challenges of using solar energy.

Indo-French collaboration

Renewable energy – and solar energy, in particular – is one of the key areas of the Indo-French partnership, involving academics, industry captains and other stakeholders from both the countries, who are collaborating in this fast-growing and promising sector.

As a unique opportunity, stakeholders from India and France may benefit from CEFIPRA(www.cefipra.org), which provides financial incentives for organising joint seminars and workshops, and conducting collaborative research projects, including in public-private modes.

The SST provides regular information about the opportunities offered by the two countries for cooperation in science and technology through its website: www.frenchscienceindia.org

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HISTOIRES VRAIES

JULY 4, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Alliance Française de Delhi

in collaboration with Institut Français India and Oman Air

presents

HISTOIRES VRAIES

A contemporary dance show

Choreographed by Cécile Loyer

Thursday | 6th July 2017 | 7pm

at ML Bhartia Auditorium, Alliance Française de Delhi,

KK Birla Lane, 72 Lodi Estate, New Delhi – 110003

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In this contemporary dance project, the French artist Cécile Loyer weaves together the stories and the histories of dance.

“Histoires Vraies” is, first and foremost, an enquiry into the origins of movement and how movements are passed on. Having been intro¬duced to bharathanatyam, Cécile Loyer creates a mix contrasting two different traditions and their use of the body.

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FREE ENTRY | OPEN TO ALL

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For more details on programs, please contact the cultural section

@ 43500 217 / 218 / 222 | Or E mail: culture@afdelhi.org

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WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE

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Our mailing address is:
culture@afdelhi.org

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July 4, 2017, 5:48 am

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THE MODERN AND SIMPLE NEW UNIC WEBSITE IS LIVE;

JULY 4, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

The modern and simple new UNIC website is live; Incorporating dynamism and accessibility to all

WWW.UNIC.ORG.IN

The United Nations Information Centre for India and Bhutan (UNIC) launched its new website today. The website with a fresh look and a contemporary design, offers information on activities conducted by the Centre and campaigns of the United Nations. With more dynamic data and structured content, the website hopes to be an interactive gateway to promote the work of the United Nations in India and Bhutan.

“The website is simple, easy to use yet modern and well designed to appeal to the young and old alike. It captures the elements of a dynamic website like videos, images, social media interactivity, and at the same time has distinct navigation. We have tried to keep it light to ensure it can operate with high and low bandwidth internet speed,” said Derk Segaar, Director, UNIC.

Most importantly, the website has been built according to the UN guidelines on accessibility that enable websites to be disabled friendly. Accessibility tools like font scalability, screen reading will be operational soon. The website intends to be multilingual and the content will be soon translated into Hindi and other languages. The carousels have been designed so that the users can experience the content at a speed suitable to them. The website can be viewed at www.unic.org.in

For further details, contact: Shachi Chaturvedi, Public Information Assistant, UNIC at shachi.chaturvedi@un.org

RAJIV CHANDRAN

National Information Officer

United Nations Information Centre

for India and Bhutan

55, Lodi Estate, New Delhi 110003

Tel: 91 11 46532237

M: 9810606833

www.unic.org.in

Sustainable Development Goals | 17 Goals. 169 Targets. One Destination! Journey to The Future We Want

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PUTIN-TRUMP MEETING AT G20 SUMMIT

JULY 4, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Naresh Kumar Sagar

16 mins

Naresh Kumar Sagar

G 20 Summit begins in Hamburg on July 7 and 8 why it is so important because of new global order and continuing cold war embattled in Syria which is giving cascading effect to migrants influx in Europe and embattled Sudan Libya and other African countries giving more loads on Italy and other European countries further enhancing the terrorism in Europe the growth engine for the Euro-Asian regions. Russian and important global power emerging from the economic- ebb, with global regional consortium on rise the meeting of G 20 countries with China emerging power and making punching powerful calls too the power blocs need cozy confluence to sort out global trivial matters which gather massive global dimensions.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for Tel Aviv, Israel this morning on the first leg of his two-nation tour. Mr Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel.

The Prime Minister will stay there for three days during which he will hold talks with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu on all matters of mutual interest.

Before leaving, Mr Modi in a joint blog with the Israeli Prime Minister said, the natural relationship between the two countries has grown strong year after year. They said, the deep connection between the people of the two countries reflects the similarities of the states.

Both leaders asserted that the relationship faces many challenges which they can overcome by working together. The leaders said, combination of India’s human resources and Israel’s ingenuity will provide a solution to share problems in diverse fields such as water, health, environment, education and security.

The two countries, they said, have forged strong ties in the field of technology from startup to space communication and cybernetics. The leaders expressed hope that India and Israel can cooperate in the field of water challenges and create new solution that could help nation across the globe. They asserted that India and Israel and genuine partners for development, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship.

Both leaders also recognised the threat terrorism poses to global peace and security, for which a few years back a landmark agreement on co-operation in homeland and public security was signed. The leaders said, both countries are committed to fighting this scourge.

Mr Modi and Mr Netanyahu also said, the business section will be involved as a catalyst in the bilateral relation. The two countries also decided to establish a new India Israel CEO forum. They said, the Make In India initiative has been enhanced by the Israeli initiative of Make with India which is bearing fruit now.

Meawhile, in an interview to a daily ‘Israel Hayom’, Mr Modi said, India wants to transform its relationship with Israel from traditional to a tech-based one with emphasis on ‘Make in India’.

He said, his visit will take the relationship to a new level. The Prime Minister said, the first-ever visit by an Indian premier to Tel Aviv will lead to further cementing of bilateral ties and cooperation in key areas including counter-terrorism. He added that New Delhi and Tel Aviv could cooperate even more closely and compliment each other’s efforts to fight against terrorism. In the second and final leg of his tour, Mr Modi will visit Hamburg in Germany for the 12th G-20 Summit.

AIR correspondent reports that as Prime Minister is reaching Israel today evening for his 3 day visit, Isreal is all excited to welcome the Indian Premier.All major newspapers in Isreal including Jerusalem Post , Haretz etc has given headline stories in the front page on the arrival of Prime Minister.

PM will be welcomed by his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu along with 40 Israeli leaders as a special gesture.Prime Minister will visit Danziger agricultural farm, where innovative methodologies are practiced in agriculture.

Later He will viist Yad vashem, Israel’s official memorial for victims of holocoust. Prime Minister is also scheduled to have a private dinner with his Israeli counter part.
Kremlin has expressed confidence that Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump will find time to hold their highly anticipated and important first meeting on the sidelines of the upcoming G20 summit to discuss Syria, international terrorism and Russia-US ties among other issues.
“It’s agreed that the presidents will meet, but the schedules are quite tight,” Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said as cited by TASS. President Putin already has talks scheduled with 11 world leaders during the G20 meeting in Hamburg on July 7 and 8, but “nevertheless, our American partners and us will be looking for openings… to hold this utmost important meeting.”
G29 summit e agenda of the Hamburg talks, Ushakov confirmed media reports that Syria and Ukraine will be among the issues up for discussion between the two leaders.
“I think it makes sense to discuss these issues,” he said, adding, that Moscow also believes it necessary to address tackling international terrorism, which requires cooperation between Russia and the US.
There are many “problematic areas” and many other issues that Russia is ready to discuss with its American partners, the aide said.
“It seems to me that the very atmosphere of the upcoming meeting can allow solving many problems , including cooperation on the international arena as well as bilateral issues that [has] remained in limbo,” Ushakov said.
Moscow and Washington have a “considerable potential for coordinating efforts in the area of tackling international terrorism, drug trafficking, organized crime and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.”
“Our countries can do a lot together to resolve regional crises like the Ukrainian, Palestinian-Israeli, Yemeni, Libyan, Afghan and others,” he added.
The coordination of Russian-American efforts on Syria is “of prime importance,” Ushakov said, adding, that Moscow stands firm on its “principal line of maintaining the territorial integrity and secular character of the Syrian state.”
After the terrorist threat in the country is eradicated, political reforms worked out “during the inclusive intra-Syrian dialogue without external pressure” are to be implemented in Syria, he said, reiterating Moscow’s long-standing position on the issue.
The Hamburg meeting, Ushakov hopes, will “finally relieve the Russian side of the need to take retaliatory measures” against the December’s decision by the outgoing Obama administration to expel 35 Russian diplomats and bar access to Russian diplomatic compounds in New York and Maryland.
At the time, Moscow said it won’t introduce its own sanctions against American diplomats in the country to resolve the issue with the new president in the White House.“We have a lot of patience, but it’s not limitless,”Ushakov pointed out, adding, that reciprocal measures may still be implemented by Moscow.
“We understand that it’s complicated and that relations with Russia have become hostage to internal political dissent in the US. It’s not easy for us too, but we want and we will be working [with the US],” the aide emphasized.
In a separate statement to the media, the Kremlin said the issue of US sanctions, which has had a negative effect on bilateral trade, is a matter Russia wants to discuss with Trump. With trade turnover between Russia and the US dipping from $29 to $20 billion between 2014 and 2016, the restoration of mutually beneficial ties between the businesses in the two countries is essential, it added.Trump has so far failed to maintain his campaign promises to seek constructive relations with Moscow. President Putin said earlier this year that Russian-American relations have deteriorated to a level worse than that under Obama.
The US president is meanwhile battling claims that his associates “colluded” with Russia during his victorious run for the White House last year. The accusations have been repeatedly dismissed as groundless by both the Kremlin and the team Trump.Rt news

Other media reports meeting of

Chinese President Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Moscow on Monday for what his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin has described as “a major event in bilateral relations.”

Xi arrived’s two-day visit to Moscow on Monday comes before he travels to Germany to take part in an upcoming G20 summit in Hamburg.

Before his departure for the state visit to Russia, Xi said, “Our two countries have built a high level of political and strategic trust… I believe the visit will lend new impetus to the growth of bilateral relations.”

“Economic cooperation and trade is the most wide-ranging area in our practical cooperation and enjoys great potential,” he added.

He also expressed hope that the G20 will continue to “uphold the spirit of partnership for win-win cooperation…Global growth continues to gather momentum, as both developed countries and emerging markets show stronger economic performance. However, grave challenges remain. Therefore, it is particularly important for the G20 to play its role as a premier forum for international economic cooperation.”

“This evening, within Chinese President Xi Jinping’s official visit, there will be an informal dinner for President Putin and Xi Jinping at the Kremlin,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. He added that Xi’s official visit, which includes bilateral talks, will begin on Tuesday.

“It will have an unusual format [of the meeting]: the leaders will meet [Russian and Chinese] representatives of the public, businesses and media, who will briefly inform Putin and Xi Jinping on their cooperation,” added Peskov.

Putin will also bestow upon Xi one of Russia’s utmost honors, the order of St. Andrew the First-Called, for his efforts towards bolstering ties between Russia and China.

Xi’s meeting with Putin will be the third of its kind this year.

According to Russia’s ambassador to China, Andrey Denisov, during the visit, China and Russia will sign multiple contracts for the collective worth of over $10 billion in various fields.

“We’re discussing a number of draft documents, both on government and corporate levels. And we have dozens of documents relating to the former group,” he added.

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GERMAN LIFTS CONFEDERATION CUP FOOTBALL

JULY 3, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Germany have lifted their maiden Confederation Cup Football title. In the final played at St Petersburg last night, the four-time World Cup winners defeated Chile by a solitary goal. Lars Stindl put Germany ahead in the first half against the run of play, and Germany then held on to the lead.

Copa America winners Chile dominated ball possession from start to finish, but could not score despite getting a plethora of chances.

Earlier, in the third-place play-off match in Moscow, Portugal defeated Mexico 2-1. Luis Neto bundled into his own net to hand Mexico a
54th-minute lead, but centre-back Pepe stabbed home a stoppage-time equaliser to force an extra 30 minutes at Spartak Stadium. Adrien Silva then scored an extra-time penalty to give victory to Portugal. For Silva, it was his first international goal.

In the group stage of the tournament, the match between Portugal and Mexico had ended in a 2-2 draw.

European champions Portugal were without captain Cristiano Ronaldo after the Real Madrid star was released from the squad to return home to meet his newborn twins.

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July 7, 2017, 12:30 am

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IATF :THE EMBASSY OF FRANCE AND INSTITUT FRANÇAIS INDIA PARTICIPATED IN AN ALL-DAY TRAINING FOR 68 TEACHERS OF FRENCH LANGUAGE

JULY 7, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

]The French Embassy in India and Institut français India were proud to support an all-day training of 68 teachers of French language from various CBSE schools of Delhi /NCR. The training, co-organised by Indian Association of Teachers of French (IATF) North Zone and Langers International Pvt. Ltd, was held on Saturday 1st of July 2017 at the Delhi Public School, Noida.

This one-day workshop was entitled ‘Revisiter le programme d’études de langue française de CBSE : enjeux et nouvelles perspectives’ (Revisiting the CBSE French Language Curriculum : Stakes and New Perspectives ).

Sessions were conducted by Caroline Schmitt, Attachée for Cooperation in French Language, Embassy of France, Prof. Kiran Chaudhry of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Ms. Anuradha Karkun President (North Zone) IATF and Mrs. Balvinder Kaur Bindra, Committee Member (North Zone) IATF.

Dr. Shweta Singh, CBSE Joint Director had also sent a message of encouragement which was read to the Teachers during the introduction session.

The workshop was followed by a round table conference led by Prof. Kiran Chaudhry. French teachers present at the discussion highlighted the various challenges they faced, especially in view of the recent changes proposed by CBSE (in evaluation structure, language policy).

The French Embassy in India and Institut français India express their full support to principals, teachers, the Association of Teachers of French, and universities that are convinced that global education is an asset for their students, encouraging them to become strong, smart citizens of the future.

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UN SECURITY COUNCIL SANCTIONS SPLINTER GROUP OF PAK TALIBAN

JULY 7, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

UN Security Council has sanctioned a splinter group of the Pakistan Taliban, subjecting it to assets freeze and an arms embargo.

The Security Council’s Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee last night added Jamaat-Ul-Ahrar (JuA) to the terror group Islamic State and Al-Qaida Sanctions List.

The outfit is also known as Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan Jamaat ul Ahrar and is located in the Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan as well as in Mohmand Agency, a district in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan.

According to information on the UN website, Jamaat-Ul-Ahrar is the splinter group of the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan and is associated with the Islamic State terror group.

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MEXICO VIOLENCE

JULY 7, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

A fight between rival gangs in a prison in south-western Mexico has left at least 28 inmates dead.

The pre-dawn fight broke out in the security wing of Las Cruces prison in the city of Acapulco. The victims were stabbed and beaten to death.

The governor has ordered an investigation. A State Security Spokesman said, bodies were discovered throughout the unit, including inside the kitchen and in an area for conjugal visits. He added, there were no signs that weapons were used. The investigation would also focus on the prison staff.

Acapulco is the largest city in Guerrero state, one of Mexico’s most violent areas and a big centre for drug production. The city used to be one of Mexico’s most popular tourist spots, but has seen a rise in violence as criminal gangs fight for control over illegal activities. It has become one of the country’s deadliest cities.

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G 20 SUMMIT : PROTESTERS CLASH POLICE, TRUMP BLASTS RUSSIA

JULY 7, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel: Teilnahme am G20-Gipfel in Brisbane 2014

Germany assumed the G20 Presidency on 1 December 2016. The G20 is the central forum for international cooperation on financial and economic issues. The G20 countries account for more than four-fifths of gross world product and three-quarters of global trade, and are home to almost two-thirds of the world’s population. The Group of Twenty is comprised of 19 countries plus the European Union. The countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

G20 heads of state and government traditionally focus on issues relating to global economic growth, international trade and financial market regulation.

G20 deliberations. Germany in particular has been pushing for measures to tackle harmful tax competitionbetween countries and combat the aggressive tax policies adopted by international firms, and not just since the publication of the “Panama Papers”. A package of measures has been adopted, and will now be implemented.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached at Hamburg in Germany last night for the 12th meeting of the G20 nations which begins later today. He will also hold bilateral discussions with leaders of Canada, South Korea, Mexico, Argentina, UK and a few more nations on the sidelines of the summit.

Deliberations on counter terrorism, climate change and global trade are likely to dominate the two-day Summit.

A closed door meeting of the BRICS leaders will also take place on the side lines of the meeting in which the Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be meeting the leaders including Brazil, Russia, and South Africa.

The summit will focus on -Shaping an Interconnected World- as it is the main theme for this edition. The deliberations will also focus on global growth and trade, sustainable development, environment and energy, Partnership with Africa, Migration, and women’s empowerment and employment in four working sessions.

Group of 20 (G-20) Summit in Germany should strengthen international cooperation and Berlin remains committed to the implementation of a major climate protection agreement, Chancellor Angela Merkel said.
“We’re united in our will to strengthen multilateral relations at the G-20 Summit, that we need an open society, especially open trade flows,” Merkel said during a joint news conference with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Merkel added that both countries also supported the implementation of the Paris climate protection agreement — a major international pact of which US President Donald Trump announced the US withdrawal.

Seventy-six police officers have been injured in clashes with protesters in Germany’s city of Hamburg, where a G20 summit starts shortly.

Police said, three officers were taken to hospital. There were also reports of injuries among protesters.

The clashes began when police charged at masked protesters at a “Welcome to hell” march attended by 12,000 people. World leaders – including US President Donald Trump – will discuss climate change, trade and other major issues.

Police fired water cannon and pepper spray at masked protesters, who hurled bottles, stones and flares. Organisers cancelled the march where the first clashes took place, but protesters remained on the streets and police said violence spread to other areas of the city.

World awaits the summit meeting top two global leaders, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to meet each other up in person for the first time today in what promises to be the most highly anticipated meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit. How far two go to talk and discuss the global gravitating problems of Syria, migrations, terrorism, West Africa, West Asia and North Korea climate control the allies fresh alignments and the growing menace of grouping of regional powers the dilution of United nations for the betterment for regional powers growing consolidation to build anti -peace globe.

Trump has said he wants to find ways to work with Putin, a goal made more difficult by sharp differences over Russia’s actions in Syria and Ukraine, and allegations Moscow meddled in the 2016 US presidential election. The White House declined to offer details on what Trump would request of Putin and what he might offer in exchange for cooperation.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Trump wanted to talk about how the two countries can work together to stabilize war-ravaged Syria.

He is also slated to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 amid an ICBM launch by North Korea.

US President Donald Trump warned that the future of the West was at risk and lashed out at Russia and North Korea on Thursday at the start of a high-stakes trip to Europe.

In key US ally Poland on the first leg of the trip, he accused Russia of “destabilising” action in Ukraine and warned North Korea it faced “consequences” after an intercontinental ballistic missile test that has alarmed the international community.

On the eve of what is likely to be a prickly G20 summit in Hamburg, Trump — who faces animosity from traditional US allies — used his keynote address in Warsaw to warn that a lack of collective resolve could doom an alliance that endured through the Cold War.

“The defence of the West ultimately rests not only on means but also on the will of its people to prevail,” he said.

“The fundamental question of our time is whether the West has the will to survive.”

Seeking to ease allies’ concerns about the US commitment to NATO, Trump endorsed its one-for-all-and-all-for-one mutual defence pact.

“The United States has demonstrated not merely with words, but with it actions, that we stand firmly behind Article Five,” he said, while calling for more defence spending on the eastern side of the Atlantic.

“The transatlantic bond between the United States and Europe is as strong as ever, and maybe in many ways, even stronger,” he added.

Speaking in a country alarmed by Moscow’s increasing military assertiveness, Trump hit out at Russia, just a day before his highly anticipated first face-to-face talks with President Vladimir Putin at the G20.

“We urge Russia to cease its destabilising activities in Ukraine and elsewhere, and its support for hostile regimes — including Syria and Iran — and to instead join the community of responsible nations in our fight against common enemies and in defence of civilisation itself.”

He also said Moscow “may have” tried to influence the 2016 election that brought him to power, but suggested others too may have been involved and blames his predecessor Barack Obama for failing to act.

Arriving at the G20 host city Hamburg later Thursday, Trump headed in the evening to talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has vowed to defend the 2015 Paris climate accord which the US leader has pledged to withdraw America from.

Trump would then hold a dinner meeting with leaders of South Korea and Japan, when focus will be trained on another crisis that erupted this week when Pyongyang successfully tested an ICBM that could deliver a nuclear payload to Alaska.

In his first public remarks since the test, Trump said in Warsaw that Pyongyang’s military sabre-rattling must bring “consequences” and warned he was considering a “severe” response to its ‘very, very bad behaviour”.

After repeatedly urging Beijing to ratchet up the economic pressure on North Korea, Trump will hold what promises to be a testy meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20.

The White House wanted to use Trump’s Warsaw speech — with its echoes of historic addresses overseas by Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy — to burnish his credentials as a global statesman and deflect suggestions he is making the United States a virtual pariah.

Speaking in front of 10,000 people at Krasinski Square — which memorialises the Warsaw uprising against Nazi occupation — Trump pointed to Poland as an example of resolve in the defence of Western traditions.

“The people of Poland, the people of America, and the people of Europe still cry out ‘We want God’,” Trump said.

Referring to the Nazi and Soviet invasions of Poland, he said: “That’s tough.”

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“BIENVENUE EN FRANCE”, 10 CITIES ACROSS INDIA,

JULY 7, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

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The Embassy of France, through Campus France, invests considerable effort in enhancing student mobility towards France. By the year 2020, France aims to welcome 10,000 Indian students to Europe’s most innovative country. This year, while a significant increase in the number of departures is already expected, the French Embassy is assisting over 2250 students in their journey to France through a pre-departure session “Bienvenue en France”, which is taking place in 10 cities across India, from 29th June to 11th July.

On 5 July 2017, H.E. Mr Alexandre Ziegler, Ambassador of France to India, opened the session in Delhi, with an introductory note explaining the importance France attaches to international students and how France is going to enhance their study abroad experience in presence of nearly 200 students, including 40 scholarship awardees.

On the agenda, announcement of the French Embassy in India scholarship holders, an interactive and instructive session covered frequently asked questions, such as visa application procedure, accommodation. Students were also given practical advice about daily life in France, cultural life and awareness on learning French. It also provided useful information about administrative procedures to be completed on the students’ arrival in France, teaching methods used in French educational institutions, and various inter-cultural aspects.

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SPORTS MUST GROW AS INDUSTRY: VIJAY GOEL

JULY 7, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

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CII Scorecard 2017 brings stakeholders from policy, business, sports, academia and philanthropy together to ‘Make India Play’

“We need broadbasing of sports, and excellence in sports – these are the twin goals of the Sports Ministry. Sports has to grow as an industry, with development of adequate infrastructure, sports science, sports medicine, coaching, event management, broadcasting. Through Khelo India, we are awarding 1000 scholarships of 1 lakh every year to deserving sportspersons, to discover and grow potential from the grassroots,” said Mr Vijay Goel, Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs (I/C).

CII in association with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports hosted the third annual ‘CII Scorecard 2017’, bringing together sport policymakers, stakeholders and dignitaries on the opportunities and future of the Sports Sector.

“Sports excellence centres, such as the one in Manipur, are a starting point for sports skill development so that we can encourage trained coaches and physical instructors. The larger change has to be in mindsets. We need to educate parents to instill in children the value of sports,” said Mr Jitender Singh, Minister of State.

“We need safe playing spaces, trained coaches, and sports to be integrated into core-curriculum of education and not just extra-curricular activities. Whether it is inclusive development, gender equality or tapping grassroot potential, we need to collaborate to take strides in sports.” stated Mr Injeti Srinivas, Secretary, Sports.

“The share of public and private sector involvement in sports is limited at the moment. There is a need for partnership expansion for more impact,” said Mr Ratan Watal, Principal Advisor, Social Space, NITI Aayog.

“For an industry that had possibly nothing to offer 5 years ago, sports in India is seeing a massive surge today. The ISL final had a 60,000 strong stadium packed 2 hours before the match; Young India is giving sports a new lease of life. But the challenges are many. How can we ensure that 30 crore Indian children get to play one hour of sports every day? This is what is going to transform sports in the country,” said Mr Sanjay Gupta, Chairman, CII National Committee for Sports.

Mr Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII, said, “Our main agenda in sports is to make India play, to create excitement around sports and offer a unique platform for corporates and entrepreneurs to come together to network and form collaborations with management organizations, educational institutes, infrastructure companies, marketing, advertising, brand managers, and manufacturers in the Sports domain.”

Sessions included an inaugural on partnering to Make India Play, followed by moderated panel discussions on ‘sports as a holistic tool for social inclusion and holistic development’, ‘corporate philanthropy and sport’, ‘sports education in schools’ and a special session with Minister Jitender Singh on ‘the power of sports to realise human potential.’

Scorecard 2017 set the agenda for sports in school curriculum and ways to evangelise sports at the grassroots level. The conference saw the release of Reports on Mapping of Sports in Maharashtra with GroupM, Opportunities for CSR funding in Sports with Sattva Consulting, and a whitepaper on establishing national curriculum standards for sports curriculum in India with Sportsseed.

The conference also launched a one-of-a-kind platform bringing together corporates, schools, service providers and CSR and in order to establish a structured programme for sports in government and aided schools.

https://t.co/PTtV6ULDNn MinSports Vijay Goel at CII SCORECARD Le Meridian Hotel New Delhi

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VENEZUELA: PRO-GOVT ACTIVISTS ATTACK LAWMAKERS

JULY 6, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Venezuela, dozens of pro-government activists have stormed into Venezuela’s opposition controlled National Assembly and attacked lawmakers, leaving several hurt and bleeding.

AFP quoting witnesses said, about 100 government supporters brandishing sticks and dressed in red broke through the front gate and set off fireworks in the interior gardens of the building.

The attackers ordered journalists to stop filming and taking photographs and leave the premises. The opposition-controlled legislature was holding a special session to mark independence day when the government supporters burst in.

Tension is high in Venezuela after three months of anti-government protests that have seen 90 people killed in clashes with police.

Protesters blame President Nicolas Maduro for a desperate economic crisis. He said the chaos is the result of a US-backed capitalist conspiracy by the opposition.

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July 8, 2017, 6:55 am

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PAKISTAN RESORTS TO MORTAR SHELLING

JULY 8, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Jammu and Kashmir, husband and wife were killed while their three children were injured in Pakistani shelling in Poonch district today. Defence sources told AIR that in yet another incidence of ceasefire violation, Pakistan army resorted to mortar shelling and firing along Line of Control (LoC) in Gulpur sector this morning around 6 am targeting forward defence locations and civilian areas.

The shelling prompted an effective retaliation from the Indian troops and they gave a befitting reply. Intermittent exchanges were continuing when last reports came in.Pakistani forces have been using small, medium and automatic arms and heavy mortars in firing.

Pakistani shelling in civilain areas has once again triggered panic among the people living in the areas close to the bordrline.

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WB:INDIA AT VANGUARD AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE

JULY 8, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

World Bank has said, India is emerging as a front runner in the global fight against climate change. In a news report published yesterday World Bank said with a sweeping commitment to solar power, innovative solutions and energy efficiency initiatives to supply its people with 24×7 electricity by 2030, India is emerging as a front runner in the global fight against climate change.

Noting that Indian government is setting ambitious targets that include 160 gigawatts of wind and solar by 2022, the bank said it is an incentive for international firms to invest in India’s solar market.

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G20: PM MODI HOLDS BILATERAL DISCUSSIONS WITH WORLD LEADERS

JULY 8, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral discussions with a number of leaders on the sidelines of the ongoing G-20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany today.

Mr Modi and President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in expressed their commitment to further develop the special strategic partnership between the two countries.

For this, the two leaders agreed for working through programmes like Make in India, Digital India and Startup India. President Moon has accepted an Invitation extended by Mr Modi to visit India at an early date.

Mr Modi held bilateral discussions with his Italy counterpart Paolo Gentolini which focussed on promoting bilateral relations. An official release said the two leaders stressed the significance of promoting interaction between medium enterprises of the two countries for strengthening bilateral economic cooperation.

The Prime Minister of Italy appreciated Indian investments in his country, including in industrial sector. The two leaders also discussed ways and means to work together for providing sustainable solutions to prevent climate change and promote development in Africa.

Mr Modi also discussed bilateral matters with his Norwegian Counterpart Ms Erna Solberg. The two leaders agreed to strengthen economic relations. Mr Modi invited participation of Norwegian pension funds in the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund.

Meanwhhile, the G20 leaders deliberated upon partnership with Africa and matter relating migration and health at its working session.

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CAG: 80% BORDER ROADS NOT READY & NOT FIT: COSTING RS.1.37CR PKM

JULY 8, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

July08, 2017 (C) Ravinder Singh progressindia2015@gmail.com

Both Gadkari & Prabhu are together spending Rs.20,00,000 Cr to Rs.30,00,000 Cr final cost on completion but neglecting BORDER ROADS.

CAG has uncovered lapses in Border Road construction.

Cost per kilometer of Border Roads is Rs.1.37 Cr Per Kilometer – Gadkari & Prabhu spending Rs.20 Cr/km to Rs.50 Cr/km for Highways and Rs.20 Cr to Rs.500 Cr Per Kilometer for Railway Projects.

Ravinder Singh, Inventor & Consultant, INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND PROJECTS

Y-77, Hauz Khas, ND -110016, India. Ph: 091- 9871056471, 9718280435, 9650421857

Ravinder Singh* is a WIPO awarded inventor specializing in Power, Transportation,

Smart Cities, Water, Energy Saving, Agriculture, Manufacturing, Technologies and Projects

Border roads not ready for war with China: CAG reportKALYAN BAROOAH

NEW DELHI, July 7 – Even as the armies of India and China are locked in an eyeball to eyeball stand-off in the Doklam area at the Sikkim-Bhutan-Tibet tri-junction, comes a report which states that India’s border roads are not ready for war with China.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has as early as in March submitted a report ‘Construction of Indo-China Border Roads by Border Roads Organisation (BRO)’ in the Parliament cautioning that border roads were anything but ready. The non-completion of works has a serious bearing on the operational capability of the armed forces in strategically sensitive areas, the CAG report said.

The report studies execution of works relating to 61 Indo-China border roads (ICBRs), which have been entrusted to the BRO to meet the requirement of the Army, ITBP and other users. Of these 61 ICBRs, 24 roads were selected to assess the effectiveness of planning and management of works, financial management, resource management, and quality and internal control mechanism.

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) headed by the Prime Minister had emphasized the time-bound completion of the Indo China border roads due to their strategic importance. As of March 2016, an expenditure of Rs.4,536 crore against an estimated cost of Rs.4,643 crore was incurred for these 61 ICBRs (total targeted road length of 3,409.29 km). However, only 36 per cent i.e. 22 roads having a length of 707.24 km had been completed.

On conduct of audit, only six roads were found completed by March 2016, while 17 other roads, on which an expenditure of Rs.1,797.28 crore had been incurred, were facing problems of substandard construction. Even the six roads having a total length 197 km, which have been completed at a cost of Rs.164 crore, were not fit for running of specialised vehicles and equipment such as Smerch and Pinaka rocket launchers, and Bofors field artillery due to various limitations like steep radiant, less width, inadequate turning radius and defective alignment, among others.

The annual works plans (AWPs) are neither prepared timely nor the physical targets achieved. The plans at various levels had not been framed realistically and there were critical gaps in implementing what had been planned. There were numerous instances of defective construction of roads on account of unsuitable design, steep gradient, defective alignment, turning radius problems, improper contract management, poor riding conditions, inadequate drainage facilities, non-connectivity of roads and abandonment of executed works.

This had not only resulted in delay in completion of strategic roads but also caused an infructuous expenditure of Rs.63.20 crore on account of realignment of roads. In certain cases expenditure was incurred in excess of the sanctioned amount without approval.

Moreover, deployment of General Reserve Engineering Force personnel was done in remote and hazardous working locations without adequate facilities. Users also expressed their dissatisfaction as the road works executed by the BRO did not adequately meet the requirement.

Users’ feedback indicated that there were issues like improper gradient, undulating surface, improper turning radius, minimum passing places, unsatisfactory riding comfort, etc., with 17 of the 24 roads selected for audit.

The CAG report recommended that reconnaissance, survey and soil classification should be carried out to facilitate the completion of roads in time. The department concerned should expeditiously implement the plan for adoption of newer technologies like Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and high resolution space technology for road construction works, the CAG noted, suggesting that the Ministry of Defence should take up the issue of fund availability with the Ministry of Finance.

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10TH GLOBAL AGRICULTURE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT

JULY 8, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT



DOWNLOAD SUMMIT BROCHURE	DOWNLOAD AWARD BROCHURE	DOWNLOAD COMBINED BROCHURE
*Dear All,* We are pleased to invite you to the 10th Global Agriculture Leadership Summit and Leadership Awards 2017 on 5 – 6 Sept at Taj Palace, New Delhi. The Summit is expected to have participation of several Union Ministers, Chief Ministers, Agriculture Ministers, Top Officials, National Experts, Industry CEOs, Farmer Leaders, Ambassadors, Foreign Dignitaries, Vice Chancellors, Media and Social Leaders. The list of eminent Speakers and Awardees of previous Summits is enclosed. Please find links below for details about the Global Summit and Leadership Awards function 2017. We are also pleased to invite applications and nominations for various categories of Agriculture Leadership Awards 2017 from individuals and institutions. These are the apex agriculture awards in the country, presented for the leadership roles, and the organisers wish to maintain the strict standards in selecting the awardees. Applicants and sponsors may kindly refer to the past lists of Awardees. Applications highlighting key achievements in not more than two pages may kindly be sent by mail. Additional information if required will be sought separately. We are also pleased to announce the launch of 10th Agriculture Year Book 2017 on 5th Sept during the inauguration of the Summit. As in the previous years, the Year Book will contain 100 pages of articles and 100 pages of data and analysis on various subjects related to food, agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, trade and agribusiness etc. for which we are seeking articles from eminent persons on their areas of expertise. *We look forward to your kind participation and support to the event.* *With regards* *NS Randhawa* *Executive Director*

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MOMAGIC BAGS THE DIGITAL MARKETING MANDATE

JULY 8, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

MoMagic bags the Digital Marketing Mandate for Super Boxing League, across all platforms

New Delhi, India 7 July 2017: Boxing in India has for many years been one of the most popular sports and with the launch of Super Boxing League (SBL) with participation from top pugilists from India and abroad, the stage is set for some exciting ring action. Keeping up the momentum of the game and to promote the league, SBL partners with MoMagic, leading Online and Offline mobile digital marketing company for digital marketing across all the platforms for SBL Season One.

MoMagic works on data driven technology to help Brands, Ecommerce players and Business partners acquire Quality Users and drive Effective Revenue Growth. The Company has a unique 360-degree user-insight intelligent technology platform to understand and predict user behaviour with 24/7 constant optimization on user acquisition and boosting business revenue.

Speaking on the win, Arun Gupta, Founder and CEO MoMagic Group said “One of the most notable trends that we are witnessing today is the digital revolution, which is having a significant impact on consumer behaviour and market structure. Today, Internet is becoming a key channel for gathering information, arriving at purchase decisions and transacting online with more and more consumers using the medium. SBL is an exciting brand to work on and with this collaboration we wish to provide best of our expertise to SBL for promoting the event on a targeted consumer base.”

The inaugural edition of the Super Boxing League (SBL) is all set to commence from the 7th of July 2017. The event will be held in New Delhi, India.

Speaking about the League and the collaboration with MoMagic, Bill Dosanjh, Founder and Promoter said, “Super Boxing league – world’s leading boxing league – in its inaugural season itself has attracted wide fan base in the country. Super Boxing League is all set to woo Indian audiences with the best of action in boxing and we plan to optimize our reach to a wide-across fan base – target audience with our strategic collaboration for Digital marketing across platforms with MoMagic.” He further added,“Recognizing the impact of digital era as an opportunity, we wish to use an aggressive digital marketing strategy to promote the Super Boxing League through consumer driven platform provided by MoMagic.

Upended on key channels, MoMagic is equipped with an advantageous position to access massive user base and potentially to reach huge data pool in Asia powered by Big Data Technology towards AI Marketing Capability. MoMagic has become a KEY Online USER Acquisition Solution Expert drawing huge potential of growth and revenue generation for its partners and clients. Besides SBL, MoMagic has made a mark in the digital marketing segment with reputed clientele that includes names like Flipkart, MakeMytrip, Uber, OLX and Opera.

ABOUT Super Boxing League

This unique concept was born thanks to British businessman Bill Dosanjh, also the founder and promoter of successful Super Fight League held recently in New Delhi, India.

Super Boxing League with its tag line Hit Harder will also be promoted by none other than Olympic medalist and two time world champion boxer, Amir Khan. Scheduled to be staged from July 7 – Aug 12, 2017.

The franchise-based SBL is Bill Dosanjh’s yet another innovation after the Super Fight League. The Super Boxing league – world’s leading boxing league – in its inaugural season has attracted wide fan base. Now the Super Boxing League is ready to woo Indian audiences with the best of action in boxing.

One of the features of the league will be its unique point scoring system which is being introduced for the first time in the history of professional boxing wherein a boxer can claim six points on winning a bout through knock-out.

The SBL will consist of 8 franchises. Each team will comprise of six players (five male boxers and one female boxer with six back up players per team). There will be competitions in six different weight categories with bouts of 4 rounds of 3 minutes each.

About MoMagic

MoMagic Group, founded in 2011, with strategic investments by MediaTek (https://www.mediatek.com/) and Foxconn (http://www.foxconn.com/), has been consistently innovating-developing AI/Big Data Technology solutions and has the widest deployment of applications on Mobile platform ecosystem. Mo magic has strong business presence in Asian Market along with Strategic tie-ups with multiple Mobile OEMs. It also has joint venture companies with Leading OEMs. Other than Mobile Brands and ecommerce players, MoMagic is strategic partner with leading Apps and Content Providers in Asian Market.

The Company started from the software differentiation business for Mobile Handset companies and has successfully transitioned to data-driven Online User Acquisition Marketing Platform with technological prowess. From being pioneers previously in Factory Preloads and Offline – and from Feature phones to smart phones in Asia. MoMagic has become a KEY Online USER Acquisition Solution Expert drawing huge potential of growth and revenue generation for its partners and clients.

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TRAI RS.8 LAKH CR MEGA SCAM RS.17,339 CR TAX LOSS FY18

JULY 8, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

July09, 2017 (C) Ravinder Singh progressindia2015@gmail.com

Can you believe Quarterly Revenue of All Telcos including RJIO is just $6b which is same as $6b in Q3FY2009 or 8 years ago? [Most Equipment’s are imported in $]

Even as TELCOs debt more than doubled and finance by Banks including Refinancing or Debt Restructuring exceed Rs.5,00,000 Cr of Rs.8,00,000 Cr outstanding – Quarterly Adjusted Revenues are less than March2014 level.

With just 1.67% of Debt Monthly revenue– Telcos can’t serve debt. Government is losing Taxes also.

http://www.trai.gov.in/sites/default/files/Indicator%20Reports%20-%20Mar-14.pdf , http://www.trai.gov.in/sites/default/files/Indicator_Reports_050720174.pdf

Q.Mar.17 Adjusted Revenue – Rs.40,831 Cr down from Q.Sep2016 figure of Rs.50,539 Cr – Q.Mar14 figure was Rs.41,016 Cr to below March2014 figures.

Even more Shocking DOT has estimated Tax Contribution of Telecom sector to CRASH 37% in financial year 2017-18 to Rs.29,534 Cr. This translates to Rs.17,339 Cr Loss of estimated Tax Contribution by Telecom sector in FY18.

DoT recently asked the finance ministry to cut revenue estimates from the debt-laden sector by 37% Rs.29,524 crore for the financial year to year ending March 2018.

Telecom sector is Totally Corrupted in 3 Years.

http://www.trai.gov.in/sites/default/files/Report1apr09.pdf

What is So Scandalous is that AGR Rs.28,940 Cr in $ Terms Q3FY09 Was $6b, same as Rs.40,831 Cr or $6b for Q4FY17.

Ravinder Singh, Inventor & Consultant, INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND PROJECTS

Y-77, Hauz Khas, ND -110016, India. Ph: 091- 9871056471, 9718280435, 9650421857

Ravinder Singh* is a WIPO awarded inventor specializing in Power, Transportation,

Smart Cities, Water, Energy Saving, Agriculture, Manufacturing, Technologies and Projects

Telecom Licence Fee Mopup Shrinks 9%

Trai says in March quarter AGR of sector fell 11%, reflecting rising financial stress

Licence fee collections from the telecom industry shrank by over 9% sequentially in the quarter ended March while adjusted gross revenue (AGR) of the sector fell 11%, the telecom regulator has said, reflecting rising financial stress of the industry.

The government collected Rs.3,361 crore in licence fee from telecom operators in the quarter ended March, down from Rs.3,698 crore in December quarter, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) said in a report released on Wednesday. The AGR from telecom services has fallen by over 15% on-year, and 11% sequentially, to Rs.40,831 crore during the March quarter, while the monthly average revenue per user (ARPU) from GSM services dipped nearly 21% on-quarter to Rs.83, according the sector performance numbers issued by Trai.

Telcos pay roughly 8% of AGR as licence fee and another 3% as spectrum usage charges (SUC), which are the two key avenues of government earnings from the telecom industry. Access services contributed over 77% of the telecom industry AGR, Trai report said.

The fall in the financials reflect the brutal impact of Reliance Jio Infocomm’s entry.

Back in April, the telecom department (DoT) had flagged a sharp fall in licence fee collections in the fiscal fourth quarter ended March, citing the debilitating impact of Jio’s promotional free voice and data services. DoT recently asked the finance ministry to cut revenue estimates from the debt-laden sector by 37% Rs.29,524 crore for the financial year to year ending March 2018.

The Trai report comes at a time when an inter-ministerial panel is examining the financial stress in the sector that is reeling under a massive debt.

Banks have put total debt of the telecom services sector at around Rs.8 lakh crore, including loans from Indian banks, overseas borrowings, and annual instalments for spectrum bought in auctions over the past few years, and have, accordingly, raised concerns about default. To alleviate stress, incumbent telcos have sought lower licence fee as well as lower spectrum usage charges (SUC). They have also called for higher inter-connect charges (IUC) –which a telco pays to another on whose network a call terminates -besides setting a floor for voice rates.

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July 9, 2017, 2:13 am

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T20: WEST INDIES BEAT INDIA BY 9 WICKETS

JULY 9, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

West Indies beat India by nine wickets in the one-off T20 International played at Kingston in Jamaica tonight.

Set to score 191 runs for a win, the hosts overhauled the target in 18.3 overs, by making 194 for one. Evin Lewis was the top scorer with an unbeaten 125. Marlon Samuels was not out on 36. Chris Gayle was out for 18.

Earlier, put in to bat, India made 190 for 6 in the stipulated Twenty overs. Dinesh Karthik was the top scorer with 48, while skipper Virat Kohli made 39.

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BJP IS HIDING THEIR FAILURES BY RESORTING TO GAU RAKSHA: MAYAWATI:

JULY 8, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

7._Shri.S.C.Varshney__Chief_Commissioner_GST___John_Joseph__Chief_Commissioner_Navasheva___Rajeev_Ta_1467628

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati today attacked the BJP led governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh alleging that they were trying to hide their failures by resorting to ‘gau raksha’ (cow protection).

She also claimed that the GST was ushered in without full preparation and alleged that the BJP and RSS were “misleading” people on various issues.

“The RSS is now openly using government wealth, facilities and power to push its agenda of casteism, communalism and violent politics. In this case, BSP is being specifically targeted,” Mayawati claimed in a statement today.

She said that the missionary movement zeal of BSP was intact and deep rooted in Uttar Pradesh and claimed that the BJP and RSS were misleading people.

They are spreading rumours, as they feel BSP as their real threat and challenge, Mayawati said.

“The coming of these casteist forces to power both in the state and at the Centre drops enough hints that they are interested in dividing the country and not uniting it… An atmosphere of fear is prevailing throughout the country, and there are incidents of targeted casteist and communal violence being reported,” she said in the statement.

Mayawati accused the BJP of hiding its failures by resorting to ‘gauraksha’ (cow protection).

She accused the Centre of implementing the Goods and Services Tax (GST), a “complicated” tax structure without full preparations, after coming out with demonetisation. BSP Release and rediff

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PAKISTAN RESORTS TO MORTAR SHELLING

JULY 8, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Pakistani shelling in civilain areas has once again triggered panic among the people living in the areas close to the bordrline.

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WB:INDIA AT VANGUARD AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE

JULY 8, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

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G20: PM MODI HOLDS BILATERAL DISCUSSIONS WITH WORLD LEADERS

JULY 8, 2017LEAVE A COMMENT

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral discussions with a number of leaders on the sidelines of the ongoing G-20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany today.

Mr Modi and President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in expressed their commitment to further develop the special strategic partnership between the two countries.

Meanwhhile, the G20 leaders deliberated upon partnership with Africa and matter relating migration and health at its working session.

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